Meijer will change its pharmacy policies as part of an agreement reached with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Rachel Peterson, who was denied prescription medication in July because a Meijer pharmacist had a religious objection to the drug, the ACLU announced Thursday.

Under the agreement, Meijer is retraining all of its pharmacy staff and new employees will be trained during orientation. In addition:

If a customer calls in or presents a prescription to a pharmacist who has a religious objection to filling the prescription, a second pharmacist will take over and immediately fill the prescription.

In the instance that a second pharmacist is not present, the on-duty pharmacist will call the prescription into another nearby Meijer pharmacy, which will immediately deliver it to the original pharmacy. In most cases, it will take no more than 30 minutes or an hour to deliver the medication and the longest time it would take is two hours.

Customers will receive their prescriptions seamlessly without knowing that a pharmacist had an objection and no Meijer employee will “shame” customers for taking a medication prescribed by their doctor.

The changes come after the ACLU filed a complaint with Meijer in October, on behalf of Peterson, 35, of Ionia who was pregnant with her first child in July 2018. Peterson had started to miscarry, but couldn't complete the miscarriage on her own. Her doctor sent a prescription for misoprostol (brand name Cytotec) to the Meijer Pharmacy on Lears Road in Petoskey.

More:Michigan pharmacist refuses medicine to woman having miscarriage

More:Meijer: Pharmacist who denied miscarriage drug no longer an employee

Misoprostol can be used to prevent stomach ulcers and also can be used to induce labor during pregnancy, to aid in the completion of a miscarriage and in the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. When combined with another drug, it can be used to induce an abortion.

Peterson said the pharmacist on duty that day refused to fill her prescription.

"He said that he was a good Catholic male and that he couldn’t in good conscience give me this medication because it’s used for abortions, and he could not prescribe that," Peterson said. "When I divulged to him that the fetus was no longer viable, and that ... I needed to progress the situation further, he said, 'Well, that’s your word and I don’t believe you,' and he refused to fill it."

Peterson said she asked whether he could transfer it to another local pharmacy and he refused.

"I was really upset. I was angry too," she said. "When you’re at one of the lowest moments in your life, you don’t think someone would do that to you — especially to call you a liar and not be understanding or empathetic at all."

Peterson said she needed the medicine to complete the miscarriage and avoid a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage, commonly called a D&C, to surgically empty the uterus of any remaining fetal tissue.

For women who don't completely miscarry, there is a risk of developing an infection called sepsis, which is dangerous and can be fatal.

After the ACLU filed its complaint, a Meijer spokeswoman told the Free Press that the pharmacist who denied Peterson's medication no longer worked for the company, and that Meijer "works hard to support all of our pharmacy customers' needs."

"We recognize the right of a pharmacist to abstain from filling a prescription based on his or her religious beliefs, but the pharmacist is required to have another Meijer pharmacist fill the prescription or, if no other pharmacist is available at that time, to transfer the script to another pharmacy convenient to the customer. This is consistent with guidelines spelled out in the American Pharmacists Association policy manual."

The ACLU commended the company for responding to the complaint quickly.

“We appreciate Meijer’s swift response to our complaint,” said Merissa Kovach, ACLU of Michigan policy strategist. “They changed their training and policies to ensure that all future Meijer Pharmacy customers will receive their prescriptions, period.”

“We are all entitled to our religious beliefs, but that does not give us the right to harm others. All women should be able to go to any pharmacy to obtain the medicine they need without fear of discrimination.”

The company's vice president of pharmacy also called Peterson personally to apologize for what happened, and explained to her the steps the pharmacy is taking to ensure this does not happen again.

Peterson said the conversation was reassuring.

"He assured me that he has reviewed the new policy himself and eased some concerns that I had," she said. "I feel that as long as they do their due diligence and stay on top of the policy, that it will definitely minimize the risk of this ever happening again.

“My goal is to make sure no one has to endure the humiliation and horror I went through last year. This new policy sets a precedent and puts other pharmacies on notice: Everyone has a right to their medication, and to receive it free from judgment.”

“Women should be able to receive the medication they need from pharmacists with compassion and dignity. It is not the job of a pharmacist to accuse, speculate and shame a woman who is actively enduring a miscarriage. With more awareness and transparency around this issue, I hope that women can feel more comfortable coming forward if they have been denied proper and dignified care. You are not alone. You have people on your side.”

A Meijer spokesman issued this statement Thursday: "We are always focused on providing the best service to all of our pharmacy patients, while also ensuring our pharmacists work in a supportive environment."

Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.