Bishops call on Pataki to veto 'alarming' bill

The bishops of New York State have called on Gov. George Pataki to veto a bill that will make the so-called "morning-after pill" available to any girl or woman in the state, regardless of her age, and without a prescription.

In a letter to the Governor, the eight bishops, including Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Albany Diocese, said the bill "will have severe implications for the health and well-being of women and girls in our state, as well as for unborn human beings in their very earliest stages of life."

They called the bill "both morally offensive and inappropriate health policy for New York State."

FDA position

The bishops' letter pointed out that "medical experts, including

those at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agree that the morning-after pill can alter the lining of the uterus so that a new human embryo would be unable to implant.

"If the pills act in this manner, a chemical abortion has occurred, destroying the life of this new human being. Marketing these drugs as simply contraception is false advertising, and denies women and girls fully informed consent regarding the drugs they may be ingesting."

The letter added that "the FDA ruled that the morning-after pill should not be distributed without a prescription,...precisely because of the concern over repeated use by young girls and the unknown long-term effects of such use. It would be irresponsible and unsound public policy for New York State to take a step that the FDA has been unwilling to take."

Parents left out

The letter also noted that "the abortifacient nature of the pill is only one reason for our concern." Another concern, which the bishops termed "especially alarming," is that the bill "carries no age restriction nor any requirement for parental consent."

The bishops told Gov. Pataki that "if you allow this bill to become law, young children will be able to access these drugs repeatedly without parental consent and without a physician's oversight.

"It should concern every parent in this state that these drugs will be easily available to their daughters in any drug store, without parental knowledge and without any type of medical determination made as to the individual's underlying health or potential risk factors....It is difficult to imagine why anyone would support restricting parental rights and potentially exposing young girls to harmful and powerful medications on a repeated basis in this way."

(The letter can be read at www.nyscatholicconference.org.)

(7/14/05) [[In-content Ad]]