New drug creates ethical dilemma
Church insurance companies ponder Viagra
By Joe
Couto
Special to ChristianWeek
It is hailed as a new sexual wonder drug that may revolutionize sexuality much like birth control pills did in the late 1960s. The drug is Viagra, the hugely popular anti-impotency drug that has sent Canadian men scrambling over the U.S.-Canada border in search of it.
But Viagra could cause one big headache for Canadian Christian organizations confronted with new financial and ethical dilemmas.
"If Viagra is covered (under group health insurance plans), it could result in a 7.5 percent increase in our premiums," says Jim Pickering, director of pensions and group insurance for the United Church of Canada.
While Viagra won’t receive approval from Health Canada until early 1999, Christian groups are already concerned about its high cost. Many Canadian men have reportedly driven hundreds of kilometres to have Viagra prescriptions filled at U.S. pharmacies where the drug sells for $8-10 (U.S.) per pill. Viagra was approved in the U.S. in March.
The print edition of CW has a fuller version of this story.
