"At our pharmacy, we vowed to provide healthcare – and that means not harming anyone," he said. "We are in a business that is supposed to give life not terminate it. Plan B is specifically designed to kill a fetus. And that is something we refuse to participate in."
Previously, Stormans would have been allowed to refer customers elsewhere if they requested Plan B or ella, both of which are widely available in Washington state, including at some 30 pharmacies within a five mile radius of Ralph's Thriftway.
However, the new Washington law requires Stormans to offer the drugs himself, becoming the first state in the country to prohibit customer referrals for religious reasons.
Since the lawsuit began, Stormans said that his family has received numerous threats. In addition, their business saw a drop in sales by 30 percent, and as a result, they were forced to take a pay cut and reduce staff by 10 percent.
"I remember feeling the weight of the world, knowing that we would have to let go of some of our staff who are like family to us and who have been working for us for years," Stormans said, holding back tears. "Some of these people said they did not know how they were going to pay their mortgage or their electricity bills. It was really difficult."
"We also must have reorganized our business five different times to make up for the losses we suffered, but somehow we got through it and have been able to stay afloat," he added.
Throughout this time, Stormans said he questioned God about the situation.
"I felt like Jacob wrestling against the Lord. At times I would be resentful and ask, 'Why is this happening to us?' 'Why are we being picked on?,' I had a great burden for the people who worked for me. These things affected me deeply. I resented the situation and it was making me the kind of person I didn't want to be."
But Stormans said that through prayer, he was able to obtain God's peace.
"I started praying to God to lift this burden from me and He did," the pharmacy owner said. "And after a while, I remember God telling me to put all of this at his feet – and literally, somehow the entire burden was lifted from me. I know God performed a miracle in my life in alleviating this suffering."
"And since then, I have felt complete peace about the entire situation. I know everything is in God's hands and I don't worry. Greg is not in charge, God is, and it is great knowing that," he said.
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Recently, 14 briefs were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Stormans and the two pharmacists. The briefs were signed by 43 members of Congress, 13 state attorneys the general, the American Pharmacists Association, and numerous other health care professionals and pharmacy associations.
Kristen K. Waggoner, who is lead counsel in the case and senior vice president of legal services with Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that the overwhelming support for the Stormans and the pharmacists shows that their beliefs are not alone.
"People of faith are sometimes portrayed as being in the minority, but all the other 49 states and the American Pharmacists Association have no problem with laws protecting customer referrals for religious reasons," she said.
"Washington state is pursuing an extreme position, not these clients who want to care for their customers and stand by their religious convictions," Waggoner said. "Nearby pharmacies sell these drugs and the record shows that no woman has ever been denied timely access to Plan B."
Waggoner is hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will review the case. If so, oral arguments in Washington D.C. would occur sometime this fall.
Stormans is also hopeful. "In America, we are blessed to practice our faith without persecution. We live in a great county where we can go to church and we are not persecuted like in so many other places in the world. This is the beauty of religious freedom," he said.