Free access to morning after pill sends wrong message says bishop

Bishop Peter Cullinane, spokesperson on bioethical issues for the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference said we should be seriously concerned about reports that the Auckland District Health Board might be making it even easier to access the morning after pill: “Is it our aim to encourage sexual activity outside of marriage or to discourage it?

“Besides, we all know that the drug involved has significant side-effects and risks. Do we want to increase its use as a method of avoiding pregnancy?”

Bishop Peter Cullinane also noted: “In my opinion greater access to this pill has the potential to make women, young girls in particular, more vulnerable to pressure to have unwanted sex.

“It is misleading to say, as some are, that the availability of the morning after pill is a strategy for reducing the rate of abortion when we know that one of the ways in which it works is as an abortifacient.”

Bishop Peter said he was also greatly concerned that this drug is available for young girls without parental knowledge or parental consent. “There is something inconsistent about our society when we rightly insist on parents giving consent for their children’s school activities but allow the same young girls to act without parental consent and support in such a serious situation, particularly when there is the potential for significant medical complications.”

ENDS

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