Bishops Say Pill Approval Reflects 'Culture of Death'

Plan B will be made available without a prescription: FDA Eases Limits on Plan B Sales

North Dakota's Roman Catholic bishops have said: "Federal approval of the so-called morning-after pill is tragic and reflects a "culture of death" in the United States"

Good for the bishops of North Dakota!

I love reporting good things about bishops!

Here's the story: Bishops say pill approval reflects 'culture of death'

The use of the Plan B pill is morally evil. It is an abortafacient drug, and its use can never be justified. It is, of course, evil to use the drug even if it is used as a contraceptive, however, the fact that it will likely prevent implantation if fertilization occurs makes the use of this drug more immoral than ordinary contraceptives (which is saying something).

The fact that one doesn't know whether fertilization has taken place or not means that each time a woman takes the pill, she is willing the possibility of preventing the implantation of a fertilized embryo.

If a hunter were to shoot recklessly at a moving object in the brush without first discerning that the moving object is not a person, then he recklessly chooses to possibly injure or kill someone.

The same principle applies with Plan B (which is a euphemism for mortal sin in pill form).

Your thoughts?

Comments

[JoAnne]

My thoughts are that I FULLY support this pill. This is NOT an abortifacent (abortion-causing) pill. If a woman is already pregnant, it will not end her pregnancy.

Doesnt the Church want abortion rates to go down? You need to compromise. People having sex only when they are willing to have children is a wonderful idea, just not one that is going to fly any time soon. I would rather a woman use the MAP than have an abortion.

What about those who have been raped? What about those who were using faulty protection? If you are responsible enough to get to the Pharmacy the next morning, you are responsible enough to use this pill.

It is only available behind the Pharmacy counter to those who are 18 and over and show photo ID.

So are we supposed to 'punish' those who have irresponsible sex with a pregnancy? The only one who loses there is the child. Do we want these horribly irresponsible people raising children?

Are the Bishops of the Dakotas going to support all the babies being born if this pill isnt avialable? Ummm, no. We, the tax payers do in Welfare and other programs.

No thanks, heres the pill, want water with that?

[Paul]

Am I going out on a limb saying JoAnne isn't Catholic? I'll bet dollars to donuts she isn't...any takers?

[JCP]

JoAnne,

From your post it appears as though you are opposed to abortion because it kills pre-born babies and is thus a mortal sin. If neither of these are true, then I will probably be talking past you. However, it seems like you simply don't equate the prevention of implantation with abortion. Yet, the prevention of implantation is simply the earliest form of abortion.

Right now, it seems as though if one is to say: This pill will prevent implantation if a zygote is present; then, you would agree with it morally. But what if one was to say instead: This pill will abort a zygote if one is present, then what? Thomistic is right to suggest that if there is a possibility of ending a human life (i.e. hunter example) then we should do all in our power to avoid that possibility.

But let's say we live in a fantastic world where using our right hands would possibly cause a person to drop dead, wouldn't it be prudent for all of use to walk around with our right hands tied to our sides?

Utilitarian arguments have no place in an argument like this, and indeed, if a child is aborted via direct abortion or via a pill, I think we can all agree, this child is the big loser. JoAnn, I pray you might see this, too. God bless.

[JoAnne]

Hey Paul:
On a personal note: I am a Catholic, I am a Mother and I am pregnant as I type this.
What is wrong for one may not be wrong for another. We still have free will last time I checked.
I know what it feels like to have life grow inside me and I know the responsibility that carrying and giving birth to a child brings. I also feel that aborting a zygote in its earliest form is the right choice for some women and it should be left as that, their choice. I do think that that choice should be made quickly before further development occurs. Do I believe in abortion as aform of birth control? No. Are some women going to wrecklessly use it as such? Unfortunately, yes.
Multiple studies however have shown that most women use MAPs as intended -- for emergencies. They are not more likely to skip other birth control or condoms, nor are they more likely to rely on this as their sole form of birth control.
http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecstopu.html
If a man is savagely raped by another man he is left with some scars, probably physically and mental. If a woman is savagely raped she could be left with another life to take responsibility for. A responsibility she may not want nor be ready for.
Until some of you men grow a uterus and know what it is like, I respectufully read what you say but it doesnt hold much weight for me.

[JoAnne- the Catholic :)]

and:

Leviticus 17:14
For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off

How can you be bloodguilty for killing an embryo before it develops any blood? How do you spill the blood of a bloodless embryo? Evidently you cannot. So there is no bloodguilt for murder before the embryo develops a blood supply. If you visit www.pregnancy.org or www.babycentre.co.uk you will discover that the heart starts to pump blood around the embryo in week 5. These weeks are measured from the last menstruation that actually occurred. So this is week 3 after conception. So before week 5, abortion is not murder. The heartbeat becomes regular and the 4 chambers of the heart are formed in week 6 and the brain starts growing, presumably thanks to the blood supply. So week 6 looks like a good candidate for the week in which the embryo becomes a soul at this point. But the spirit of a human being is determined not by the body but by the head. The body is merely a vehicle for the head. So once the heart is pumping blood around the brain, then we have a human soul.

[Paul]

I was correct, you are not a Catholic.

[Sarah-Jean]

I posted about this on my blog this morning...

As a pro-life Christian, married to a Catholic, I think it sucks. Yes, once again, America’s stupidity has be baffled and outraged. I think this is one of the most stupid, ridiculous things (that I know about) that Mr Bush has done during his presidency. I’m absolutely disgusted with him right now… Personally, I don’t even think Plan B should exist. But since it does, it should at least require consultation with a doctor first, if not a prescription as well. It should only be for very special circumstances, like rape or risk of death.

Now take into consideration that I don’t condone it at ANY time to be honest with you. Not even in cases of rape. It’s not the baby’s fault! Why should the embryo have to suffer? It should be the rapist that dies, not the innocent embryo.

All babies are a gift from God, no matter how they ‘get in there’.

Bush should be ashamed of himself. Such double standards! Ugh… I know a lot of you won’t agree with me, but I can’t help it. I am pro-life and always will be. Not just for religious reasons, but because I know all about what happens during an abortion, etc. It’s disgusting, shameful, and I can’t believe they even allow abortions in this country. Moreover, I can’t understand the women who actually get them… But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, I don’t approve of the Plan B pill.

[Joe]

We will all have to pray for joanne.

[Paul]

Whoa....I assume the last comment by JoAnne will be striken, as it was extremely profane...that is too bad, as JoAnne's comments speak for themselves...everyone needs to pray for JoAnne!

[David]

I think what Sarah-Jean said is the key. It's not the fault of the embyro how it got there. Without termination of some kind (direct or indirect), that embryo will become a life outside the womb with all the ups, downs, joys and horrors that we all experience on our pilgrimage.

God has a great purpose for suffering as part of our pilgrimage experience. So, to terminate a pregnancy in order to prevent suffering may very well fly in the face of God's plan for us.

If she is still reading, I congratulate JoAnn on her pregnancy and bringing a new life into the world. I pray for her and her family. I think every pregnancy deserves the chance at life.

[TM Lutas]

Paul - One does not cease to be a Catholic by having divergent views on abortion or contraception. One can be in error, purposefully committing sin, poorly catechized, or all sorts of things. One can even take Monty Python waaay too seriously (every sperm is sacred?) and fall into error on the other side.

When JoAnne says "I am a Catholic", I'm willing to take her at her word. I think she's wrong on the issue but I take strong issue in any attempt to drum her out of the Church. Eating our own is not a Catholic virtue.

JoAnne - How loosely should the Church define human life? Where there is doubt, how can you avoid the slippery slope? Right now, today, Peter Singer's arguments for legalized infanticide up to 6 months post partum are gathering force. He's quite a clever fellow and hard to beat in an argument. The Church has decided that the only defensible battle lines are at conception and we're called to man those lines.

It's not because we're 100% sure that the medieval arguments for ensoulment at a later date are wrong. It's simply that if you adopt an indefensible line, the argument is lost and we're in Singer land where every desperately sleep deprived mom and dad of a sick child can commit infanticide legally for six months.

So as we learn more and more about how God truly set up life, we find ourselves forced to take this position in order for the Bride of Christ not to mistakenly give its blessing to mass murder and to have some hope of eventually forming some sustainable pro-life consensus.

And though I can't say about the bishops in N. Dakota, I know that in NYC, any woman in financial difficulty can knock on the door of any Catholic church, they will work to ensure that sufficient support is available so the child can be raised. If that means the Church has to open its purse, so be it.

Are you so very sure that things are different in N. Dakota?

[ND Catholic]

The Bishop's of the North Dakota have programs in place to help with financial difficulty in pregnancy. Catholic Charities of ND provides support for pregnant women--including adoption services if the mother wants to give her child up for adoption. The Fargo Diocese also helps to support the St. Gianna Maternity home where nobody will be turned away.

[A Simple Sinner]

North Dakota's Roman Catholic bishops have said: "Federal approval of the so-called morning-after pill is tragic and reflects a "culture of death" in the United States"

Good for the bishops of South Dakota!

I take it you mean Good for the bishops of North Dakota!

Also when JA writes: Are the Bishops of the Dakotas going to support all the babies being born if this pill isnt avialable? Ummm, no. We, the tax payers do in Welfare and other programs.

Hmm, just looking out for the good taxpayers to make sure they are unburdened by unwanted "human debris?" Thanks.

I would spend more time on this, but as I have no uterus, and JoAnne is the Catholic pregnant lady looking out for the doubtless millions and millions of babies born to burden the taxpayer, it seems a waste of effort.

Let us know when your baby is born, JoAnne! We are all excited for your new addition.

[carolg]

Joanne,

I appreciate your desire for dialogue and encourage some reflection on your part and I promise to do the same.

First, it is a biological and scientific fact that a heartbeat has been detected as early as 18 days, yes 18 days. I will work on the source of that fact for you. The baby is all heart and brain at that point.

Independent of that when cell one splits from cell two this person has their own unique DNA that will never be repeated again. And the fact is we don’t know when a soul is infused into a body because God does that. We must be prudent and assume it happens at the moment of conception when the unique DNA appears and the cells start dividing. Question: If a woman lost a baby at four weeks would you tell her she really didn’t lose anything?

But I don’t just want to argue science with you. I want you to see the wisdom of the Church teaching and why it is that she takes the approach that she does.

I am also a woman and mother and know what it is like to carry life in me. If I may say so, I’m also a woman who knows what it’s like to have men try and use me for sex when they have no interest in commitment to me or any consequences sex may bring about, be it pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. I’m not bagging on men or saying they are bad or worse than women, however original sin is what it is and it affects every single one of us. Even the nicest guy in the world can be tempted into using a woman for sex without any intention of committing to her or honoring her and sometimes they will say anything to do it. It is very important this and it is something I will teach my daughter.

The Catholic Church teaches what it does because the underlying principle is that women are not to be used for sex and discarded. Women are to be loved, cherished, and have someone there for them for better and for worse – remember all that stuff from wedding vows – that’s what every woman should have before a man can have sex with her. It is unfortunate that you see God as some kind of cosmic buzz-kill who doesn’t want people to have fun. God invented sex and it’s good – in the context of marriage. God and the Church try to keep people away from things that will hurt us. Any woman who makes herself available for men to have sex with, give diseases to, impregnate and then let the men walk away is not good for the woman or any children that come out of such a situation. THAT is the Church teaching.

I volunteer at a medical center and see women come in seeking this pill and they take it frequently. (We do not provide it). This pill is not the answer. They want to sell it over the counter to anyone who wants it including under age minors. Don't kid yourself for one second about that. Chastity is the answer.

[RussellNeglia]

Bravo for the Bishops. I agree 100%. We need the Bishops to be forceful in this respect. Our culture is in love with the culture of death. There is a terrific book out that must be read to understand just how the culuture of death has become dominant - "The Party of Death" by Ramesh Ponnuru. Every Christian should read this book.

[Jason]

Everything else aside, this can't be good for STD rates. This is just another way to take responsibility totally out of the sex equation. Say what you will about condoms, but at least they give protection against STD. Now kids and adults will just use this pill because it feels better. Kids will be able to get it easily, they get beer easily. This just seems like an irresponsible move all around.

[Synthesizer]

Haeckel and Buchner and a Darwinian, atheistic a-moral climate
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=dford3-1118315214.069039.280490%40z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com
aka
http://tinyurl.com/pvfa7