Illinois Court Enjoins Blagojevich Anti-Conscience Rule

A judge in Illinois has temporarily enjoined state officials from punishing pharmacists who conscientiously object to filling prescriptions for "Plan B," which sometimes acts as an abortifacient.

Despite the existence of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich promulgated a rule in 2005 forcing pharmacists to violate their consciences by filling Plan B prescriptions.

Pro-life pharmacists challenged the rule in court, and the trial court initially held that the matter was not ripe for adjudication. The Illinois Supreme Court ended up reviewing that ruling, and CLS's Center for Law & Religious Freedom filed a friend of the court brief urging the court to reverse (which it did).