PHOENIX – A bill in the state Legislature could allow health professionals to choose whether they will prescribe, fill prescriptions or participate in activities related to abortion, contraception, emergency contraception or sterilization.

Potentially, the bill could mean a pharmacist could choose not to fill birth control prescriptions or morning-after pill prescriptions on "moral or religious grounds," according to the bill, HB2541.

Health professionals would also be protected from disciplinary action for not participating in these services based on personal beliefs.

The bill, drafted by Rep. Doug Quelland, R-Phoenix, was introduced to the House of Representatives Jan. 26 and is scheduled to be heard by the Committee on Health today.

Quelland, chair of the House Committee on Health, said he wrote the bill to give all health care professionals the same rights. He said if a doctor does not want to perform an abortion, he or she does not have to do so, but nurses and pharmacists cannot always choose without fear of retribution from their employers.

He said this bill fits in with other rights enjoyed by workers in the state.

"People are making accommodations for workers all the time," Quelland said. "They're the backbone of any business and we have to find a way to address their concerns, whether they be daycare, parent care or in this case, rights of conscience."

Terry West, administrative secretary for Campus Health Service, said that Dr. Harry McDermott, Campus Health director, said he thinks if passed, the bill would only affect the pharmacy, not others who work at the on-campus medical and health center.

Campus Health pharmacists did not want to comment on the bill's potential affects.

Ted Tong, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy, said if the bill passes, the most important thing for pharmacists would be making sure they were not leaving a patient with no other options.

"We're just not going to let people be stranded or abandoned," Tong said. "We take an oath, a pledge that we do no harm and we leave no patient uncared for."

Tong said if a pharmacist had moral objections to providing a service, it would be important they refer the patient to someone who could help them, whether it was in a pharmacy across the street or a doctor in a clinic.

"Fortunately in the hospital there are other professionals" who could help a patient, Tong said.

Quelland said the House Committee on Health may hear testimony for the bill this week, but may not vote on it for a few more weeks to ensure that all sides are equally presented.

"I knew it was going to be an uphill battle," Quelland said. "To me, this bill is not about a woman's right to choose, it's about conscience for workers."

The most important part of the bill is protecting the jobs of individuals who choose not to participate in the medical practices listed in the bill, he said.

Tong said it is important that those who would be affected by the bill understand their options if they chose to exercise their objections.

"They need to be able to say you can go somewhere else," Tong said.

The American Pharmacy Association says pharmacists are entitled to exercise their conscience in their work, and the bill would ensure that they could consciously object to providing certain services, Tong said.

"It's going to raise awareness of pharmacists, that they have that privilege," Tong said.

Tong said the College of Pharmacy teaches all students the ethics of the profession.

"We do address ethical issues, and try to make (pharmacy students) think about what they would do," Tong said. "When you come to the College of Pharmacy at the UA, we try to provide you the best education that we can, but what you have in your heart also matters."