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Four Walgreen Co. pharmacists in Illinois are on unpaid leave after refusing to dispense prescriptions for emergency contraception, the Associated Press reports.

Illinois requires pharmacies to fill prescriptions for contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration without delay.

The pharmacists say they refused to dispense the prescriptions on moral grounds.

Walgreens spokesperson Tiffani Bruce tells the news service that the company's policy allows pharmacists to refuse to dispense prescriptions if they are morally opposed to them, unless there is a state law that requires the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions.

The company says it will keep the pharmacists on unpaid leave ''until they either decide to abide by Illinois law or relocate to another state" without such a requirement, the news service reports.

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