A teenager in Arizona’s Tucson city was refused a refill of a life-saving prescription drug within 48 hours of Arizona abolishing abortions under its new law, according to her doctor.
The 14-year-old girl, a patient with debilitating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, had been prescribed the immunosuppressant methotrexate to fight the pain and symptoms of her disease.
But she was refused a refill of the drug after Arizona rolled out its new law against abortions on 24 September, on the basis that the drug can also be used to end ectopic pregnancies.
The girl’s doctor, Deborah Jane Power, took to Twitter in a post that has since gone viral, saying the teen was denied the drug on the grounds of her gender.
“Welcome to AZ. Today a pharmacist denied the MTX refill for my adolescent patient. She’s on 5 mg/wk to prevent AHCA Ab production. MTX denied purely because she’s a female, barely a teenager. Livid! No discussion, just a denial. Now to fight for what’s best for this pt (sic),” Dr Power wrote on Twitter.
She added that the girl was her first paediatric patient to be denied her medication on these grounds, according to a report by KOLD news.
The doctor told the local TV station that the teenager had worked a lot over years to get her pain to a “totally manageable” stage and she was now able to attend school as a result.
Arizona banned almost all abortions last month under the new law which prohibits people from seeking medical termination of their pregnancy after the 15th week.
The teenager’s mother also spoke to KOLD TV about the improvements her daughter had seen with the drug, and how the family is now worried about having to look for alternative medication.
“It’s her first year and she’s in high school and it feels like a dream. She’s not in a wheelchair, she has a social life and friends for the first time and a life all young people should have,” the mother said.
She said that even a wait of 24 hours between the drug being denied and a new prescription getting approved was a source of anxiety for the family.
“I was scared, I was really scared,” she said. “I’m like if they deny this then we’ll have to find a different medication and we don’t know if it’s going to work.”
The teenager’s doctor said that her concern lies with pharmacist who did not want to risk finding themselves in a battle between the state and people seeking the drug.
She added that the pharmacist chose to not refill the drug because it can be used for an abortion.
The report added that the pharmacy which denied the drug said that their focus lies in providing medicines in compliance with applicable pharmacy laws and regulations.
