Illinois Law vs. Personal Conviction

On Monday, Walgreens placed four Illinois pharmacists on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for the so-called "Morning after" pill (also called "Plan B") which is designed to prevent or even terminate pregnancy. Illinois has a standing law, the "Right of Conscience Act," which allows healthcare professionals to make decisions based upon their own convictions. This past April, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich issued an emergency action ruling to prevent pharmacies from turning away women with prescriptions for the drug, "without delay."

I am no lawyer, but in my simple way of thinking, these two laws/regulations/actions do not fit together. Apparently the four pharmacists had similar thinking. They chose to follow their personal convictions regarding the matter and did not fill the prescriptions.

Professor Chris Lynch of the SIUE College of Pharmacy says, "The pharmacists' responsibility to themselves, their moral responsibility to themselves, should be superseded by their responsibility to their patients' healthcare."

What do you think? As Christians who believe in the right to life (you should...God believes that life begins at conception), what is the biblical thing to do? Should a physician's responsibility to his patient supersede his personal conviction? In this instance is it right to obey the authorities, or to follow your convictions that are based upon God's written Word?