Former Boots pharmacist Piotr Mikolaj Majchrowicz, registration number 2069549, has been banned from providing emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) for three years after subjecting a patient to a "distressing" lecture on the ethics of the treatment.

Mr Majchrowicz told a patient that EHC amounted to a chemical abortion, she was "ending a life" and taking it would be "on her conscience", the General Pharmaceutical Council heard at a fitness-to-practise hearing on July 18.

The regulator accepted that Mr Majchrowicz had a previously unblemished career, but stressed that he had shown no remorse or insight into his actions. The GPhC imposed conditions on his registration for three years, banning Mr Majchrowicz from providing EHC and obligating him to notify prospective employers of the case.

The GPhC heard that Piotr Mikolaj Majchrowicz, registration number 2069549, told a patient that EHC amounted to a chemical abortion and taking it would be "on her conscience"	More on fitness to practise C+D's investigation into fitness-to-practise sanctions Expert comment on fitness-to-practise rulings Fingers crossed on your fitness to practise? MORE NEWS
	In January 2012, a patient came into Boots where Mr Majchrowicz was working in Blyth, Northumberland, and requested EHC. Mr Majchrowicz took the patient into the consultation room to discuss the supply, but "kept on sighing" and seemed "very uncomfortable with the situation", the patient reported.

Mr Majchrowicz then told the patient that supplying the drug went against his religion because it amounted to a chemical abortion. When the patient contended that EHC was a prevention of pregnancy, Mr Majchrowicz allegedly said she was ending a life and that it would be "on her conscience".

Although Mr Majchrowicz agreed to supply the drug, the patient was too upset to take it at the time. She went home and "broke down in tears" when she told her fiancé of the events. "This was an awful incident and I was made to feel like I had done something rotten and horrible," she told the GPhC. The patient then rang Boots Customer Care to report the incident.

In his evidence to the GPhC, Mr Majchrowicz denied saying the act would be on her conscience. But he admitted telling the patient EHC was against his Catholic faith and amounted to a chemical abortion, which is "how the Pope would see it".

Mr Majchrowicz added that he had provided EHC in a similar way before but had received no complaints and contended that he had met professional standards.

The GPhC ruled Mr Majchrowicz's advice was "anything but impartial" and he had instead given "a distressing explanation of why his religion regarded EHC as morally wrong". The GPhC stressed that this went against its code of conduct, which requires pharmacists to respect cultural differences and ensure their views do not affect how they provide professional services.

The fitness-to-practise committee said Mr Majchrowicz should have referred the patient to another pharmacy if he felt unable to impartially provide EHC.

It found Mr Majchrowicz was "wholly unrepentant", which could give rise to a repeat of his serious misconduct. The GPhC ruled that imposing conditions on Mr Majchrowicz's registration would be the most effective sanction to control his practice.

 Read the full case here.

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