Many people would consider the phrase “contraception-free pharmacy” an oxymoron, but I think it’s a badge of honor. It shows a pro-fertility, pro-family mentality that is well aware that not only is the Pill (and other contraceptives) not a panacea, but that it has terrible side effects that wreck the physical, mental, social, relational, and spiritual state of women and families, and thus is bad for society at large.
DMC Pharmacy, one of the rare contraception-free pharmacies in the United States, near Washington, DC, has closed its doors effective two days ago due to lack of customer and financial support. CNA covers the story here.
This is so sad and frustrating on several levels. It takes so much courage and sacrifice to make the decision to go against the grain and do the right thing, and to not be supported on principal by two large parishes (totaling 20,000+ parishioners!) says a lot about those parishes. I mean, I’m taking a leap on my inference here, but I find it hard to believe that two parishes really living their faith could not find it in themselves to help a brutha out. But this is the DC area. I used to live in the DC area, and though the DC area is a quasi-mecca for a cluster of super faithful, rock solid Christians, the Catholic population is notably unfaithful in the area of contraception and related issues especially. Boo, those two parishes. (I could be wrong about the parishes, but it just doesn’t add up.)
Which begs the question, how can pro-fertility, pro-family communities (especially faith communities support their local pharmacies? (To find a contraception-free pharmacy, start here. There’s not that many listed, but I know there’s got to be a lot more. If you know of one, connect them with OMS so they can get listed!)
- Make sure that they have NFP information, brochures and flyers at the pharmacy. (General NFP/ Contraception Side Effects brochures available at One More Soul. Specific ones about classes in your area can be found through your Catholic Diocesan Family Life Offices, or local NFP Chapters.) If you’re an NFP Instructor/ Promoter, this is a must!
- Get bulletin announcements published in your church bulletin! We absolutely need to be supporting our brothers and sisters for making courageous decisions. Ask the Family Life/ Respect Life Office to email a bulletin announcement about your local non-contraceptive pharmacy (word the announcement as you wish for maximum effect in your area) to all local parishes. They should have a blanket email list. If they don’t, submit a hard copy for mailing/ newsletters. If this isn’t an option, consider contacting your pastor to suggest this. If he’s on board enough (he should be!), he may even go further and include it in a homily! (It can and does happen.)
- Put flyers up in your church/ supportive community: It’s psychologically shown in marketing/ communications studies that someone has to see/ hear something 5-8 times before remembering it, and having it sink in. That’s why the same commercials are shown over and over, and this is why any publicity should contain several types of media (print, verbal announcement/ radio, email/ internet, etc.) This can get expensive quick, but it also can be done on the cheap. So put up flyers for the pharmacy at your parish (make sure to ask permission–it should be fine, though). With the same redundancy reasoning, also consider:
- Putting a link for the pharmacy’s web site on your parish site/ personal site.
- Spread the word via social networking: Facebook, Twitter, Newsvine, etc.
- Invite the pharmacist to speak: The pharmacist/ pharmacy owner likely has a story on what lead them to take this leap. Their decision is a huge witness in and of itself, and they should be invited to tell their story. Places where they could speak: your local Respect Life Group, a local Catholic Medical Association (or other like-minded medical groups), a youth group, a local Medical Student Group, and others. Mike Koelzer, a pharmacist in Michigan, has got his own site for this purpose! If you’re in Michigan, give Mike a call!
- Pray for Pharmacists who still prescribe BC, and give them this pamphlet on discontinuing contraceptives if they are believers.
What are some of your ideas? Do you have a pharmacist in your area that’s not listed at OMS? Let me know!
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