WASHINGTON, January 4, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A 141-page US Justice Department document dealing with guidelines for treating victims of sexual assault has received criticism from abortion providers for failing to recommend the abortifacient morning-after pill.
“I think it’s very smart not to put that in the guidelines,” Physicians for Life board member Dr. George Isajiw said.
Giving the morning-after pill to women, he said, is “. . . giving a dangerous drug that’s not doing any good, or else you’re causing an abortion. As a moral principle, a woman has the right to defend herself against an aggressor. But she doesn’t have the right to kill the baby,” according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.
New York state has already made it illegal for hospitals to refuse the morning-after pill to rape victims, regardless of religious affiliation. One hospital has already been fined $46,000 for failing to administer the abortifacient.
The chances of a woman becoming pregnant as a result of sexual assault are roughly five percent, according to Princeton University population researcher James Trussell.
Last year the US Food and Drug Administration rejected an application from the manufacturer to allow over-the-counter sales of the “Plan B” morning-after pill. The FDA will re-visit the issue in the coming weeks. tv