Be Our Guest / Sr. Sister Diane Carollo, S.G.L.
Plan B is not a good plan at all
Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the over-the-counter sale of the “emergency contraceptive” Plan B for women and men 18 and older.
Theoretically, a minor will still be required to present a prescription for the potent hormonal cocktail. However, in the real world, an older friend—male or female—could simply purchase Plan B and deliver it to the under-age girl.
When I was interviewed by reporters from the ABC, CBS and FOX affiliate stations in Indianapolis regarding the FDA approval of Plan B as an over-the-counter drug, I stated clearly that this “emergency contraceptive” should be classified as an abortion-producing drug.
If conception has taken place in the woman’s body, the deadly drugs work to prevent implantation of the embryo in the womb.
It should be noted that those who promote Plan B as a contraceptive make every attempt to redefine pregnancy. In their opinion, a woman is not pregnant unless the fertilized egg is implanted in the womb. However, manipulating the definition of pregnancy does not, in any way, change the biological reality. Conception takes place at fertilization when the human egg and sperm unite.
Who profits with Plan B? I think it is obvious.
According to Susan E. Willis, associate director for education for the U.S. Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, Barr Pharmaceutical projects some $38 million in Plan B sales for 2006. In 2003, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, took in $15 million on Plan B sales. With Barr Pharmaceutical, Planned Parenthood can anticipate an average profit of more than $20 per packet. Not bad for a “nonprofit” organization.
Who loses with Plan B?
Without a doubt, unborn babies will die as a result of the chemicals that may inhibit implantation of the human embryo in the womb. Also, with Plan B, women are losers because their health care is being significantly undermined and trivialized.
Females of all ages who take Plan B without a prescription put their own health at serious risk. Note that the same hormones found in Plan B are found in other contraceptives at lower rates. Yet, the contraceptives with lower hormone dosages require prescriptions. Ingesting larger doses of the hormones without a prescription certainly puts women at risk for serious health complications.
It is unfortunate that Andrew von Eschenbach, the acting FDA commissioner, yielded to the political pressure exercised by certain U.S. senators hours before approval of Plan B. Interestingly enough, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state had initially blocked the nomination of Eschenbach. Both senators enthusiastically supported his nomination after he approved the over-the-counter sale of Plan B.
(Servants of the Gospel of Life Sister Diane Carollo is the director of the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry.) †