JACKSON - Members of the Wyoming Pharmacy Board voted unanimously here Wednesday to reconsider and possibly redraft language that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions based on "personal beliefs."

The board also agreed to go through the public process again with new language. No schedule has been set.

The board has been considering its controversial rule change addressing pharmacists' right to refuse since June 2004. Board members said the intention was to protect patients by developing language requiring pharmacists who refused to fill prescriptions to send patients elsewhere.

Board President Kay McManus said the rule change began after other states had incidents of pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions, then keeping prescriptions, refusing to transfer them, and lecturing the patients.

"As a board, we found this was unacceptable behavior," she said. "The intent was to make sure the patient was treated with respect and taken care of in a timely manner."

Current Wyoming rules allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions if the pharmacists feel the drugs may be harmful - for example, if a drug might react with another prescription the patient is taking. Pharmacists also may refuse because they do not have the drugs in stock. The proposed rule change was simply to require pharmacists to send the patients elsewhere, board members said.

But nearly 20 people slammed the proposal at a public hearing in Jackson. Only one person spoke in favor of the rule. The board has also received between 100 and 200 written comments, according to Jim Carder, board executive director. Most of those comments were against the rule change.

Inserting the words "personal beliefs" led many to believe pharmacists could refuse to fill prescriptions for the so-called "morning-after pill" to prevent pregnancies, or even birth control pills or other medication.

Board member Randy Harrop called the rule change an "exercise in the law of unintended consequences," saying the board hoped to have recourse should a pharmacist refuse to fill an order.

Reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@tribcsp.com.