BRANTFORD, ON-When Federal Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew announced recently that Health Canada is moving forward with allowing nationwide access to the "morning after” pill without a doctor’s prescription, Philip Smith didn’t immediately make plans to stock his shelves with the so-called emergency contraceptive.

A pharmacist and owner of Smith Drugs and Apothecary in Brantford, Ontario, Smith barely gave the announcement a thought. As a matter of personal conscience, he does not dispense the pill-technically called levonorgestrel-on a prescription basis, and he does not intend to make the drug more readily available in his store.

In a recent Health Canada news release Pettigrew says, "women facing an emergency need timely access to this type of therapy.”

Smith disagrees.

"I’m hoping that it won’t lead to any professional ramifications against me,” Smith says, admitting that he doesn’t know what he would do were he compelled by law to dispense the drug or others he finds similarly morally objectionable. "I would suspect we would take the stand.”

He explains he would rather close his business than operate against his conscience or Christian principles.

Smith’s business is safe for the time being. According to Health Canada, most provinces and territories currently have a policy whereby pharmacists have the right to refuse to dispense medication for moral reasons.

As Christians, Smith and his wife Deb insist their business "belongs to God.”

"This is truly His business,” Deb says. "We feel that we’re stewards.”

The sign out the front of their store conveys their belief clearly. The "t” in their logo takes the form of a cross, and their sign carries messages of Christian faith-based hope or encouragement or Scripture verses that change weekly.

"It really makes us stand out and says to people, ‘This is a Christian business,’” says Deb.

"It also kind of positions you out on the limb of a tree, ready to be sawn off at any moment if you make a mistake or overcharge somebody,” Philip adds. "You’ll get labelled a hypocrite if you do something wrong.”

They also consider the sign a tool in their arsenal for spiritual warfare. Ironically, an adult massage parlour and an adult products store both sit directly across the street. Deb says they pray for the impact the words on their sign might have on those who drive by, believing that God’s Word does not return void.

"There’s the messages on the sign, but there’s also the people that come into the store,” says Philip, indicating that their faith expresses itself through their business in more than just one way. "I believe strongly that we should live every day as if it were our last.”

He regularly prays for his clients, and isn’t afraid to lend assistance or a listening ear to the desperately ill, or to ask questions or offer a word of compassionate counsel to the drug addicts that come into his store on an almost daily basis.

"In everything that we do, we try to honour God.” As an independent store, they have the freedom to do exactly that.

In addition to pharmaceuticals, the store also sells a full line of Christian-themed giftware, cards, books and magazines.

Janina and Peter Dekkar have been shopping at the store for 12 years. Janina says it’s the people that keep her coming back. "They’re wonderful, they’re warm, they smile and they go out of their way to help you.”

Another long time client, Michelle Seib, agrees. "They’re very personable,” she says. "They take the time to get to know who you are and what you’re about. It’s evident that they are people of God.”