September 27, 2007
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Plan B
A law was passed in Connecticut that required hospital personnel to give emergency contraception to all rape victims. The Catholic church runs four of those hospitals and initially the Catholic church refused to give out Plan B because of religious reasons. The church leaders changed their minds. Here is the link: Link
Do you think the Catholic church should be forced to give out Plan B at its hospitals?
Comments (98)
What’s to prevent a person from claiming rape by an unidentified attacker just to get the pillz?
i think if the girl asks for it, then yes. but i don’t think they should just be handed the pill
what’s Plan A? maybe they could start there.
No, it shouldn’t be required. It’s the same thing as advocating abortion, and last I checked abortion is against Catholic beliefs.
Of course if the church leaders changed their minds, then maybe they do agree with abortion…
It shouldn’t be required. the victim should get the choice.
YES!!! YES!!! YES!
Sure.
I have no idea. But I’m sure they’ll make a decision one way or another.
It’s not really a baby yet. Just goo and egg.
That crazy new pope, who knows what wacky shit he’s up to.
Please, I hate that “miracle of life” argumentation shit. I’m with B_Marclar. First, those are hospitals, and secondly they are religiously backed institions. In the same way that Catholic schools can’t refuse to accept students of different beliefs, Catholic hospitals can’t refuse to treat patients in ways that may not be in tune with Catholic ideology.
Plan B is a contraceptive pill.
The Catholic moral stance is against using contraceptives.
To force a Catholic hospital to give it out would be a violation of the Catholic hospital’s religious/moral stance.
The last I checked, we do not force violations of religious beliefs in this country.
So no, they shouldn’t be forced.
Doh
YES! A woman should not be forced to endure 9 months with a rapists baby inside her. Rapists should not be allowed to propagate anyway.
No. It’s against Catholic belief, theology, and morality to consider contraception as an option. The separation of Church and State exists to keep the State/Government out of the Church and it’s beliefs & practices, not the other way around.
Uh.
Whatever you believe, the catholic church believes it is wrong.
Thus, it shouldn’t be forced.
I don’t think.
I figure, their hospital, their rules.
I think it’s fair that it shouldn’t be forced.
I’m sure there are plenty of other hospitals in Connecticut. No one is forcing you to go to a catholic hospital.
The question I got, when does life begin?
No, but it should be available for those who ask for it.
seperation of church and state could be a problem here but the church itself changed its mind. i support plan b personally and think it should be given out to anyone who requests it
Y.E.S.
The issue here is clearly not whether or not life begins at conception, so why bring that argument in? There are banks that give free checking, banks who do not. There are Dr’s who choose to accept medicaid patients, Dr’s that do not. There are hospitals that choose to administer contraceptives to rape victims, hospitals that do not. What’s wrong with that?
Hey, it’s not that baby’s fault that his/her parents didn’t “willingly” participate in the conception. No hospital should be “forced” to perform abortions, which is basically what Plan B is. And what a cutesy, trite, stupid little name for such a horrible product.
they are private hospitals, but they still have to be run under State law.
so yes. Yes they should be.
ABSOLUTELY
Yes.
No, they shouldn’t be forced. No rape victim should be forced to take emergency contraception regardless, mostly because alot of Christian victims would object. I bet the psychological repercussions from taking the emergency contraception would equal or outweigh the effects of the rape because in certain people’s minds, it’s like getting an abortion (even though the two are nothing alike and you’ve got to be a complete dolt to believe that they are.)
This is why I’m Libertarian. The government has no business telling a private institution how to run their institution unless that institution is directly government-sponsored.
no. victim’s choice. the victim might not approve of it either, believe it or not
In a rape case, it would be the lesser of two evils. Think of the child growing up, and the mother. It’s very compassionate to not refuse. I won’t lie, I love my kids, but it would be a different story if the baby was conceived by rape. I’m human.
not everybody who walks into that hospital is Catholic. it should be the rape victim’s call, and no one else’s.
hell yes!
I haven’t seen anything about separation of church and state here so… what about that?
Should Christian Churches also be required to administer abortive means of contraception? Someday that will be the case.
Jesus, come quickly.
They shouldn’t require it for all rape victims in the first place. The victim should have a say in the matter.
Whoops, sorry Drugs_&_Razorblades, missed ya the first time through
I don’t think a religious organization should be forced to do something that is so blatantly against their religion, especially since the women have the choice of going to a non-Catholic hospital.
And I even though I think emergency contraception should be available to rape victims, it should not be presented as their only option. The woman should be told it is available and then given the choice whether or not she wants it.
here we go with another abortion question… dont you get tired of these, Dan? i know i do.
What happens in a hospitals should be separated from the church believes. This way, the hospital can do it’s job what’s best for the patients medically and not get interrupted by the church.
No. Separation of Church and State, yo.
I don’t think it’ll help anyone if they “force” it on a supposed rape victim. If she requests it, then they MUST do it. Religion or not.
The Catholic Church should not be allowed to run hospitals AT ALL.
State law is state law, and the church isn’t above or beyond the jurisdiction. If the law requires it, the hospitals have to comply.
’nuff said…
it should only be given when the girl asks for it. perhaps this law should be amended to say that hospitals be required to inform the victim of her right to obtain Plan B from them. see, not so hard is it?
it’s not abortion. it just helps keep it from forming a baby. it justmakes it so the sperm and egg cannot create a baby. so yes, i think they should.
No
Had this been a public institution, naturally the law should be enforced. But we are talking about private institutions here, so the game plan’s a bit different.
No, they shouldn’t be forced.
And really, is the fetus of a raped woman any less of a human life? They have no say in how they’re concieved.
No, it’s against their religious beliefs to use contraceptives, and thus their choice to not give them out. You should not force them to do so.
nope its a baby
even if its one cell big
and the person who should be dying should be the guy who raped her
not the baby
Some people have very obviously misread the question. It is not asking if the hospital should force rape victims to take the Plan B medication, it’s asking if the state law should be able to force Catholic hospitals to provide the medication to rape victims should they choose to take it. It has nothing to do with forcing patients to take drugs. Nothing at all.
I understand that they have religious reasons but they are a hospital first.
It is not advocating abortion. While abortion is against my personal beliefs, I do find that is is appropriate in certain circumstances. This would be one of them. Being raped and being impregnented normally are two different things.
If a rape kit was done and it’s been confirmed that a rape has occured, the victom should be given the choice to take the pill. Plain and simple.
The church is not above the state
should islamic taxi drivers be forced to drive people with alcohol in their bags?
Fuck ya and if not, get transferred to another hospital.
But they’d rather give you the pill then not, hospitals are in it to make a profit.
Yes. What if the child suffers an unfit life and becomes a serial murderer? Which is worse? A pill or a serial murderer? Obviously the pill.
What’s to prevent a person from claiming rape by an unidentified attacker just to get the pillz?
9/27/2007 5:59 PM
jesusmoshes2 (message)
There are medical procedures used to verify rape.
Moron.
YES! Plan B isn’t abortive in nature. You’d think rape is perhaps a situation where we could put our personal convictions on contraception and reproductive issues aside long enough to do what’s best for the victims. Which is giving them all the available options and letting them choose.
According to the article, Plan B stops ovulation, therefore not even allowing conception to occur. This is why the Catholic Church changed its mind about whether or not it would allow Plan B to be offered. Also, the article does not say that the victim was required to take the Plan B pill.
But should the Catholic Hospitals be required to administer proper, legal, medical care? Yes.
YES. The day after pill is safe and stops the woman from having to go through a surgical or medication induced abortion later. In some cities, I assume, the only hospitals are Catholic. A few years ago I witnessed a teenage who was raped going through a medicine induced abortion when she was 10 weeks pregnet. It was horriying and inhumane (had she gotten plan B right away she would not have had to go through this).
If the girl asks for the pill she SHOULD get it!!!!
Whether or not this is against Church ethics is still in question. It is not actual abortion. Contraceptives are taboo because the Church holds that sex should be for babymaking, not pleasure, etc–but in this case the victim wasn’t trying to have sex.
However, the question isn’t so much about abortion/contraceptives, but whether a religious institution performing services has
the right to deny those services based on religious belief.
Here, jcmonogram raises an important point. The Catholic hospital may be the only one available for some rape victims. If there already is a Catholic hospital in an area, there may not be need to build another–and so people are left without a choice.
It’s a tough question; religious rights are important, but so is the health and safety of the patients. All in all, the institution is a hospital first–and Catholic second. They need to provide the care necessary.
No, it’s a Catholic hospital, they can do what they want. Agreed with living_embers.
Wait, rape victims? Oh. Well, I think a choice should be given, since the girl didn’t have a choice in the first place. So yes, they should give out those pills if the girl really doesn’t want to have the baby.
No. A catholic hospital is a PRIVATELY OWNED most of the time NOT FOR PROFIT venture. The Government can’t MAKE them do anything of the sort…it would be a breach of ethics
i havent read the article, but the way the question is posed sounds as though the rape victim is required to take the pill, so that misunderstanding is understandable. as i understand it though, the big problem with rape is not the physical act, its the overpowering of the will. that is to say A “FORCES” B to do what A wants.
so, the way i read the question is, should we violate the will and concience of C(the hospital staff) to right the violation of the will and concience of B(the rape victim)..
my question being, why is it that at the very most, we are going to provide the rapist with free room and board for a few months(until he’s released to rape again) and kill a potential life.
“Yes. What if the child suffers an unfit life and becomes a serial murderer? Which is worse? A pill or a serial murderer? Obviously the pill.”
by the logic of the quoted comment all humans should be aborted. the rape victims child could just as easily grow up to cure cancer or do some other noble work.
how about this, once a rape has been confirmed beyond a doubt, the child is allowed to live. if it is the mothers wish it can be put up for adoption. (yes, i am well aware of the 9 months of gestation, but bear with me) the rapist is liquidated, in every sense of the term, all of his assets, bank accounts, property(cars, land, houses, everything) are siezed, and turned to cash which is given to the mother of the child, the rapist is executed with out apeal. if it(the rapist) had a wife and kids, then they are given say… 2 weeks to find a new home they keep nothing but the clothes on their backs and whatever the wife owns herself(meaning if she has her own job with which she bought her own car she gets to keep it). (want the bastard to live long enough to see the full effects of his actions). i cant be 100% certain, but im fairly sure that if this kind of punishment were instituted, people might just think twice about commiting rape.
jada marnew, you said -
“I understand that they have religious reasons but they are a hospital first. ”
Correct – but being a hospital doesn’t preclude the fact that they are private institutions FIRST, then hospitals. These hospitals are classified as private institutions – therefore, the government should not have the authority to tell it how to conduct its affairs regarding plan B.
No matter who it’s run by, the institution is a hospital. It is there to take care of people who are sick and in need of personal care. For someone who has been raped and wishes NOT to become pregnant from it, receiving Plan B should be part of that care.
I already think it’s nuts that a pharmacist is allowed to deny the filling of a prescription due to “personal beliefs.” But at least in that instance the person can find another pharmacy (however long that takes them) that will do it. With a hospital, this idea is even more ludicrous. Hospitals need to help people. The Catholic church should do what needs to be done. I don’t care what their stupid ideology about women and their bodies they believe in.
if it(the rapist) had a wife and kids, then they are given say… 2
weeks to find a new home they keep nothing but the clothes on their
backs and whatever the wife owns herself(meaning if she has her own job
with which she bought her own car she gets to keep it).
ionekoa, why are the rapist’ wife and children getting punished, and likely thrown into poverty? They most likely had no idea that their husband/father was a rapist and as much as he should rot in hell, why does his family have to suffer? Why does the child he created out of rape get everything and the children he created with his wife get nothing but “the clothes on their backs”?
mightymarce, excellent question, simple answers.
1) to compound the shame of the rapist. laws and consequenses are not secret. if he is willing to put the livelyhood of his family at risk like that, to go ahead and throw it away then his name will be even more reviled than if he were the only one affected.
2)for the sake of simplicity. no long process of deciding what goes to the victim and what goes to the family. if it’s got his name on it, it goes to the victim.
it’s not so much about “punishing the family”, as i stated, anything that is the wife’s remains the wife’s, as it is about pouring ultimate shame onto the rapist, you cut a very important part. he is to live just long enough to see the devastation his actions brings to his family.
QuantumStorm ~
jada marnew, you said -
“I understand that they have religious reasons but they are a hospital first. ”
Correct – but being a hospital doesn’t preclude the fact that they are private institutions FIRST, then hospitals. These hospitals are classified as private institutions – therefore, the government should not have the authority to tell it how to conduct its affairs regarding plan B.
OK, they are a private institution offering the public a service. The medicines they offer are already regulated by the government [FDA]. They have to be in compliance with government health codes and laws. Hiding behind “We are a private hospital” doesn’t give them the right to enforce their morality on the people who have to go to them . . . especially victims of a crime.
I don’t think anyone should be FORCED to do it or to take it. And if the catholic hospitals are completely against it, they should recommend a hospital that offers it if the patient would like to be transferred.
Additionally – The catholic church should NOT be okay with someone taking the plan B pill for rape. B/C it’s still killing a baby.
(I don’t agree with this stance, but if they believe it, they should stick with it to be consistent)
it’s interesting that pro abortionists talk so much about choice, and here the mother has no choice at all.
UMM, why keep a baby that wasnt planned?
No way!!!!
thinmanii
just becasue the drug is required to be given to the victim doesn’t mean she’s being forced to take it. As PRO-CHOICE, I believe even in this case there shouldn’t be any force to take the drug. I think it’s great that it’s being offered and if she refuses she should have every right to do so!!!!
if I hear one more thing about one side being so “contradicting” im going to puke.
Oh cripes.
First of all people, get the facts straight about Plan B. It is, and at the same time, is not an abortion pill. It depends on when you take the darned thing. (didn’t I do this already?)
Secondly, catholic hospitals are not state facilities, they may have certain rules they must abide by in order to be licensed to be a hospital, but as far as they handle their policies, such as handing out certain products that are not a direct threat or mal-practice to their patients, this isn’t something the state can determine. Like it or not, a hospital is a business. There are state hospitals though that can be controlled by our handy dandy little government, so, no worries, you can still get your pill for free from there or Planed Parenthood. So yes, sorry ya’ll, no matter if your pro-life or pro-choice, catholic hospital, catholic rules.
Also fully agree with kris_peoples.
Yes.
If its a state law, then yes. You cant refuse to follow the law for religious reasons.
Plan B is NOT an abortion pill! People, do your fucking research.
Two wrongs don’t make a right imo.
But if plan B prevents conception, I’m all for it.
I just have issues with the after-conception stuff.
The hospital should be given a choice of whether or not it wants to administer the pill, and the patient should have a choice in whether or not they want to take it.
I think the Church acted properly in this. Plan B prevents ovulation, and therefore is not in conflict with thier doctrine.
I do not think they should be forced to give out Plan B, but I do think it is a very good idea to offer it. It is not abortion as some people mistakenly believe it is and does not effect existing pregnancies but rather stops ovulation.
Um…Yeah! It’s the law!
There should be a time limit on it, I think. Like 7 days, maybe?? They should not be forced to offer Plan B to any woman demanding it, claiming to have been raped. This is a very very serious issue for Catholics, and it’s not like it’s a secret that we believe in the sanctity of life.
God people are stupid.
The plan B pill is NOT abortion! It’s (more or less) the same as the regular pill. It stops the sperm from fertilizing the egg. There’s a span of time between when the sperm enters the woman during sex and when the egg is fertilized. The plan B pill protects the eggs from being fertilized. That’s it. It doesn’t kill an already fertilized egg or anything crazy like that. It’s just as much abortion as condoms or the regular contraceptive pill or any other form of birth control are (which is to say, not at all!)
The actual issue here is the fact that the Catholic Church does not support the use of birth control, and so the plan B pill is against their beliefs (not because it’s abortion. because it’s birth control.) Because we do have separation of church and state (in theory at least) then the state really can’t force a church run hospital to do anything (so long as there’s no federal funding.) I don’t think there’s any way we can say we can force these hospitals to have these pills available if it would violate the constitution.
That being said, these pills should be available somewhere. Whether it’s public hospitals, over the counter, private practice, or in clinics like planned parenthood. And while some girls may go in wanting the “morning after” pill, and claim they were raped, even if they weren’t, I’m sure most would much rather just pay whatever it costs than go through a rape kit (filing a police report, full pelvic exam, full body comb for fibers and other evidence). Some will I’m sure, but most of the girls that get the pill will be the ones it was meant for.
Our health care system is already heading towards communist, why not continue the trend?
what happened to “pro-choice”? the hospitals should be forced to give plan B to anybody who wants it, after they have been given a thorough explanation of how it works. some people believe it is a “baby killing pill” and taking it would haunt their minds as though they had had an abortion.
as i’ve commented on your site before. i have had one abortion, as well as used plan B once, (and am not haunted by these decisions, even though some people are afterward.) however, not everybody shares the same beliefs as me and they deserve to have a baby if they want to, even if it was conceived through rape. (i have a friend, whose little brother was brought into the world this way.)
if somebody wants the pill, the hospital should not deny them, however as long as we’re a free country and not china i do not believe their should be any laws in place force somebody to terminate a potential pregnancy.
Yes– It should DEFINITELY offer Plan B to its patients. In cases like that, all options should be considered.
I’m a little confused by what the law means. I think that all hospitals should be required to have it on hand in case a patient requests it. I don’t think that patients should be forced to take it. As far as I can tell this is about forcing hospitals, not patients, right? The wording is a little bit confusing.
I think in certain situations it is the right thing to do but not for every victim who walks or is brought into the er… Every woman has a choice,, but with the unwed mother rate rising I think it should be considered before either accepting it or not accepting it . I would rather see something for stds given to rape victims incase of some guy having aids or gonnerah…..
“what happened to “pro-choice”? the hospitals should be forced ….”
what an interesting way to start a comment.
I think that it would be imposing on the religion if they did. I once had a reproductive problem where I had to take contraception to regulate my hormones. I went to a religious based hospital, and had to get special permission for it, which was ok with me
.
WHoa! The baby didn’t do a thing the rapist did. Now people that what abortion scream CHOICE!CHOICE but now want to force this pill which is a form of abortion on a person before they have time to think. Their are people that do keep these children. Like I said the babies are inocent.
OBVIOUS yeah