A CVS pharmacy in Las Vegas, Nevada ended a Black woman's pregnancy dreams after they mixed up her fertility medication with abortion pills, per 8 News Now.
Tamika Thomas was using in vitro fertilization to get pregnant in 2019 after removing her Fallopian tubes. Thomas and her husband paid for the procedure out-of-pocket because their insurance didn't cover it.
The mother of four visited her local CVS pharmacy to get fertility supplements prescribed by her doctor after having two embryos transferred. One of the prescriptions was meant to "trick her body into producing enough hormones to kickstart her pregnancy," 8 News Now reports.
“You have to make yourself think it’s pregnant,” Thomas said. “We’re taking a lot of supplements to make our bodies think it’s pregnant.”
However, Thomas was given Misoprostol, which is used for “medication abortion," instead of her prescription.
Thomas filed a complaint with the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy. The board found that pharmacists guessed the prescription because they couldn't read the doctor's handwriting. The pharmacist also failed to explain to Thomas what to expect with medication, which is typical under protocol.
The CVS pharmacy was fined $10,000, which is the maximum amount allowed by statute for pharmacist errors. Thomas was unable to sue the pharmacy due to the statute of limitations expiring.
CVS issued an apology, but Thomas said it was not enough.
“I understand that people make mistakes,” Thomas said at a hearing. “But that mistake took something from me.”
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