Catholic hospitals to offer Plan B pill to rape victims

A two-year fight over the ?morning-after? pill appears to be over as Connecticut?s bishops reversed a decision and will allow Catholic hospitals to give emergency contraception to rape victims. The state?s

News 12 Staff

Sep 28, 2007, 11:37 PM

Updated 6,318 days ago

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A two-year fight over the ?morning-after? pill appears to be over as Connecticut?s bishops reversed a decision and will allow Catholic hospitals to give emergency contraception to rape victims.
The state?s Roman Catholic bishops made the decision days before a new state law was set to take effect requiring every hospital in the state to provide the Plan B pill to rape victims. The law will be implemented Monday.
St. Vincent's Medical Center and other Catholic hospitals in Connecticut adamantly refused to provide rape victims with the controversial pill until the change.
"Our religion and our beliefs tell us that you can never destroy life, so we wanted to make sure it didn't cross into that area?It's our belief that it does not,? Ron Bianchi, corporate senior vice president of St. Vincent?s said.
Dr. William Cusick, of St. Vincent?s, said the Plan B pill interferes or delays the formation of the egg in the ovary. He said the egg is released at a later date so a woman can avoid pregnancy.
Though bishops and Catholic health care leaders will comply, their position remains that the new law is flawed and should be changed, according to the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Related Information:Archdiocese of Hartford