Bishops go to Plan B

Connecticut's Catholic bishops have acquiesced to a new law requiring hospitals to provide so-called "Plan B" emergency contraception to women who have been raped, reports the Associated Press. Plan B is a double-strength birth control pill that prevents ovulation and reduces the possibility of pregnancy by 89 percent. It has no effect on women who are already pregnant.

Some prolife advocates have opposed the move, since there is a very small chance that an already-fertilized ovum would fail to implant. The issue is evidently whether an ovulation test should be given before Plan B.

I think the bishops made the right move here. There is a good moral argument for Plan B in this situation, and on top of that that, failure to permit Plan B in cases of rape would appear callous to the needs of victimized women--in my humble opinion only, of course.

The blogger at American Papist disagrees with me, and you can find his/her reasons here. While I'm sensitive to the argument about life beginning at conception, the very tiny chance (practically undocumented) that a fertilized ovum won't implant--which happens naturally about 20 million times a year as it is--doesn't outweigh the a violated woman's right to prevent conception. She should at least be given the option, the sooner the better.