jno, considerate as always, I see.
Mike, the incident that led to this wasn't down to the shopkeeper's principles, but he is now obliged to abide by the principles of any member of staff who thinks the same way as the woman who refused to serve the prescribed medication. If he fires her because she refuses to fulfil the duties she was employed to carry out, there is every possibility that he will be accused of unfair dismissal on the grounds of religious discrimination. Quite frankly, everyone must be aware that working in a pharmacy involves selling contraceptives, or in the case of a qualified pharmacist, filling prescriptions for contraceptives. Therefore, if this woman's religious convictions were so strong, then she should never have applied for a job in a pharmacy in the first place. I wonder if she came clean about her attitude to contraception at her job interview? Somehow I doubt it. The fact is, if the customer had needed her contraceptive pills urgently, then the action of that member of staff could have affected her life - and possibly the life of an unwanted child - for all time - but that wouldn't have been the shop assistant's problem would it? People have no right whatsoever to impose their religious beliefs on anyone - regardless of what they happen to believe.