Thursday, June 27, 2013



Dear Ms. Bennet:

As reported by the Times of Trenton on 1/13/12,

  • "Local religious groups are unhappy with a federal ruling issued last week that requires most church-affiliated organizations to offer free birth control on employee health plans, a mandate Diocese of Trenton Bishop David O’Connell called 'a threat to religious freedom'....Health plans would be required to cover all FDA-approved forms of birth control, including Plan-B and Ella, contraceptives commonly referred to as 'the morning-after' pill, and sterilization procedures....O’Connell issued a letter about the church’s opposition to the decision, and many bishops have urged Catholics to write and complain to their legislators.  'Unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to violate our consciences or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so),' O’Connell’s letter read....'There is absolutely no way of knowing at this point the full impact of this ruling,' Diocese of Trenton spokeswoman Rayanne Bennett said.  'Our focus is strictly to fight this assault on our freedom to practice our religion in full adherence to Church teaching. But in a very real way, it affects everyone, because it represents a serious infringement of the right to religious liberty, which is a guarantee given to people of all faiths.'"

 Fast forward 17 months and prospects only look more dire.  As reported by the Monitor on 6/13/13

  • "U.S. Catholic officials expressed disappointment with the June 10 announcement that the federal government will comply with a judge's ruling to allow girls of any age to buy the morning-after pill without a prescription....In a June 10 letter to U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn, N.Y., department officials said they will submit a plan for compliance with his ruling and will drop their appeal. The letter also said the FDA has advised the drug's manufacturer to submit an application to make Plan B One-Step available over the counter without restrictions."  

Any right thinking person has to realize that this is a hideous development.  In the interests of children and adults, Catholics and others of good will should express their outrage by NOT supporting pharmacies making poisons available.  According to Plan B's manufacturer, you can simply "Enter your zip code...to see which pharmacies in your area may carry Plan B One-Step."  Entering Trenton's zip codes, 45* pharmacies are identified, possibly carrying Plan B.  Unless it can be ascertained that these 45* pharmacies are NOT selling Plan B - or other abortifacients and/or contraceptives (See One More Soul, Pharmacists for Life International) - their inclusion in parish bulletins is grievously inappropriate.  

Of the 45 pharmacies, I recognized four names from ads in parish bulletins.  In each case, the owner seems to identify himself as a Catholic.

  • Currently, the bulletin for at one Trenton-area parish carries an ad for Vizzoni's.  In June 2009, I met with James Vizzoni and learned that Vizzoni did NOT deal in the Plan B poison. However, Vizzoni's was dispensing contraceptives, including oral contraceptives which can act as abortifacients.
  • The bulletin for at least one other Trenton-area parish carries an ad for Vizzoni's, as well as for Episcopo's.  The Episcopo ad notes, "Also available FRANCISCAN MISSION ASSOCIATION Mass Cards.").  When I phoned on 6/24/13 and asked owner John Berkenkopt whether he indeed sold contraceptives and other abortifacients including Plan B, he would not answer.  Responding that I would assume the answer to be "yes," he told me that I could assume anything that I like.
  • In addition to Vizzon's and Episcopo's, the bulletin for that same parish carries an ad for Olden Pharmacy.  In the bulletin for St. Greg's, I have noticed that owner Carlo Benedetti is indicated to be a parishioner. As per my phone message for Bishop O'Connell, I phoned Mr. Benedetti on 6/24/13 and asked whether he indeed sold contraceptives and other abortifacients including Plan B.  He indicated that he would not answer and would instead end the conversation.
  • The bulletin for St. Ann's in Lawrenceville carries an ad for McGrath's (with the note: "Member of the Diocese").  Back in July 2009, I phoned this pharmacy and was advised that they DO provide Plan B.  Over the years, I have had no success in convincing the pastor or diocesan officials of the inappropriateness of advertising this pharmacy.  On 6/24/13, I left an extended message for owner Steve Zagoreos, in an effort to get my information updated, but my message went unreturned.

Especially in light of the abortifacient Plan B now being available over the counter to children, I pray that the Diocese of Trenton is now prepared to be far more proactive, regarding abortifacients and contraceptives.  

For everything that they got wrong, young people of the 1960s got one thing right: "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

Sincerely, 



1.       ACME PHARMACY (260 DUNNS MILL RD) 
2.       ACME SAV-ON (multiple locations)
3.     ALEXANDER'S TWIN PHARMACY
4.     ALLENTOWN
5.     BENECARD SERVICES
6.     BOYD'S (multiple locations)
7.     BRIARWOOD
8.     BRUNSWICK PHARMACY
9.     BURNS (MORRISVILLE, PA)
10.  CAGAN'S
11.  CVS (multiple locations)
12.  EPISCOPO'S (multiple locations)
13.  EXPRESS PHARMACY
14.  FAMILY PHARMACY LLC
15.  HAMILTON DRUGS & SURGICALS
16.  HAMILTON PHARMACY
17.  HEALTH CARE PHARMACY
18.  HERITAGE
19.  HIGHTSTOWN
20.  KING BOULEVARD
21.  KMART
22.  L C BOYD
23.  MAST PHARMACY & SURGICAL SUPL
24.  McGRATH
25.  MEDICAL HOME PHARMACY
26.  MERCER PHARMACY
27.  MONUMENT PHARMACY
28.  OLDEN PHARMACY
29.  OMNICARE
30.  PHARMCARE USA
31.  PLUMSTEAD
32.  QUAKERBRIDGE PHARMACY
33.  QUICK CHEK (1535 PENNINGTON RD)
34.  QUICK STOP FOOD STORE
35.  RISOLDI'S
36.  RITE AID (multiple locations)
37.  ROBBINS
38.  SHOP RITE (multiple locations)
39.  SIEGEL'S
40.  SUPER FRESH
41.  THRIFTY DRUG
42.  VILLAGE PHARMACY
43.  VIZZONI'S
44.  WALMART (multiple locations)
45.   WEST TRENTON

The grievous wrong of Plan B, other abortifacients, and contraceptives....

EC and Catholic Hospitals

An unattributed item on your web site rightly indicates that there is no substantial difference in the positions of the German bishops and the American bishops, with regard to treatment of individuals identifying themselves as victims of sexual assault:
    "Recently the secular media again has insisted that there is a disparity among the teachings of the Catholic Bishops. They cite the recent statements by German bishops concerning sexual assault protocols in Catholic hospitals. However, on a closer examination, it is clear that their position is consistent with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs), as promulgated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.... 
     

    "With appropriate testing, as indicated by the ERDs, emergency contraception may be provided to sexually assaulted women, and should be [emphasis added].  Manufacturers of emergency contraception indicate that it has three potential functions: to prevent ovulation, so that fertilization cannot occur; to alter the woman’s cervical mucus to slow the speed of the sperm reaching the egg (ovum); and to alter the uterine lining to prevent the embryo from implanting and receiving the nourishment it needs to survive....

    "Credible research tells us that altering sperm mobility and its capacity to fertilize the egg cannot occur quickly enough when these hormones are taken for emergency contraception.[7] Sperm can be at the point of fertilization in a woman in five minutes.[8] Thus, the only function of emergency contraception that does not involve the destruction of the newly conceived human being, that can occur quickly enough, is the prevention of ovulation....

    "There is no test to determine if conception has occurred until up to 16 days after the embryo has been conceived.  However, there is a simple test to determine if the emergency contraception can be given at a time that may prevent ovulation....Thus, Catholic hospitals can use this test as part of a sexual assault protocol to determine if pregnancy can be prevented.  The test is usually positive only for one day, and the egg usually only lives for one day, so there is a very limited period of time in which the emergency contraception should not be administered in order to prevent its potential abortifacient effect (prevention of implantation, which manufacturers indicate is a potential action)....
     

    "In all such cases, the patient is provided with all the information she needs for informed consent as to why such testing should be done, and all of the manufacture’s stated potential actions of the emergency contraction.  This is just good medicine.  And if the patient, after being stabilized and provided all of the excellent care available to her at our Catholic hospitals, wishes to be transferred safely to another provider of her choice, the transfer of care is safely provided for her....The position of the German and American bishops constitutes compassionate and pastoral care of the victim of sexual assault who has the right to protect herself from the unjust aggressor, by preventing conception, as it is accurately defined.  Both statements clearly indicate that anything that is used to cause the death of the embryo after conception is inconsistent with respect for human life. Thus, both the positions of the American bishops and that of the German bishops are totally consistent and do not represent any new teaching of the Catholic Church" ("There is No Inconsistency: German and American Bishops’ Treatment of Sexual Assault Victims," NCBC, 3/13/13).

Dr. Haas, I suspect that many faithful Catholics are missing much of what is being said and much of what is NOT being said in the above.  For example, 
  • Many are unaware that there is no comparable guidance from the Vatican, outlining situations for supposedly moral use of EC (In fact, documents such as the Statement on the So-Called "Morning After Pill" and Dignitas Personae indicate NO morally acceptable use of EC.);
  • The above protocol makes no guarantee that the use of EC will not be abortifacient;
  • The scientific assumptions are questionable.
With all respect, I assume that the above was not written by a physician, as there are no physicians on your staff.  I am confident that you are aware of the recent writing of Fr. Juan Vélez, who is an Opus Dei priest with a doctorate in dogmatic theology and an M.D.  Along with Rebecca Peck, M.D., Fr. Juan writes:
"All physicians who value life, and especially Catholic healthcare institutions, have a duty to re-examine the available scientific information on Plan B. We think the data shows a small anovulatory effect and suggests a significant post-fertilization or abortifacient effect. Given this information, the Peoria Protocol, and other rape-based protocols should be abandoned, as use of Plan B during the critical fertile period, would not be expected to prevent ovulations in a majority of cases, and in fact, would lead to a significant possibility of post-fertilization effect.

"Moreover, as newer emergency contraceptives with better efficacies emerge, the precedent has been set for allowing agents with abortifacient mechanisms of action" ("Plan B’s Main Mechanism of Action: The Case for a Post-Fertilization Effect," Human Life International).
In the words of Human Life International, I pray "that Catholic bishops and those who advise them in these issues will see the urgency of revisiting the approval of Plan B for treatment of women who have been raped. These women deserve the absolute best life-affirming care possible, and this care should not include drugs that only compound the violence already suffered by causing abortions."

May victims of rape be administered a “Plan B” (levonorgestrel-only) contraceptive?
Catholic bishops, ethicists, and researchers have given a variety of answers to this question. Some forbid its use entirely, others permit it only after certain tests are done, still others allow it every time a victim of rape seeks care. This disparity in policy is primarily a result of the status of the science that continues to explore how this drug works. Recently a furor over the announcement by the German bishops that Plan B was approved for use at Catholic hospitals seemed to end with widespread confusion and a deepening of divisions between those who disagree on the issue. We believe that such a resolution on so important a question is completely unsatisfactory.
Given the findings of the latest science that Plan B may very well have an abortifacient or embryocidal effect, it is Human Life International’s position that all use of Plan B in Catholic hospitals should be discontinued. We respectfully request that all bishops and those who advise bishops on these matters reconsider as soon as possible the approval of Plan B for use in Catholic hospitals.
Picture_-_Austriaco_Article_041013The Church’s moral teaching regarding this matter is summarized by the Bishops of the United States in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services:
A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault…It is not permissible, however, to initiate or to recommend treatments that have as their purpose or direct effect the removal, destruction, or interference with the implantation of a fertilized ovum. (36)
With this moral principle in place, the question then becomes, Does Plan B cause early abortions? We set out to explore this through a series of articles published on our Truth and Charity Forum (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6). By publishing some of the strongest authors on the subject, all of whom approach the relevant science through the lens of orthodox Catholic moral theology, we wanted to provide a resource for bishops, and for those who advise bishops on the question of Plan B. Having researched the question and completed the series, HLI makes the following conclusions:
1.    Recent large and robust studies indicate that Levonorgestrel-only contraceptives such as Plan B rarely block ovulation, and most likely do result in the death of the embryo if administered during the first 4-5 days of the fertile window.*
2.    A Luteinizing Hormone (LH) protocol – a test whose outcome has been understood to determine whether a drug can be administered based on where the victim is in her cycle – cannot in fact detect that a woman is in these first days of her fertile window. Therefore a negative LH test may well encourage administration of Plan B precisely when it is most likely to cause an early direct abortion.**
3.    Because recent scientific studies have provided very strong data that indicates Plan B rarely has any contraceptive effects and is likely to have embryocidal effects, a medical practitioner cannot attain moral certainty that administration will not lead to early abortion.
4.    Since one cannot attain moral certainty that abortion will be avoided, protocols and policies that currently permit Catholic health care providers to administer Plan B need to be reconsidered by the appropriate diocesan authorities and hospital administrators. Nations in which abortion is illegal should be aware of this potential abortion-inducing effect and should prohibit the administration of these drugs.
These are our conclusions pending any developments in scientific research. Further, it appears that no contraceptive exists that is known to meet the reasonable criteria expressed by the Church above.
The urgency of addressing this matter comes to light when one considers the Church’s teaching regarding abortion expressed most recently in Dignitas personae:
It must be noted, however, that anyone who seeks to prevent the implantation of an embryo which may possibly have been conceived, and who therefore either requests or prescribes such a pharmaceutical, generally intends abortion. … Therefore the use of means of interception…fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral. (23)
Here we have considered the use of a contraceptive following the unjust act of rape. We must, however, also reaffirm the Church’s unchanged and unchangeable doctrine on both abortion and the contraception of the marital act – both remain morally illicit without exception. As Pope Paul VI wrote in Humanae vitae, “it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life.” (11)
We hope that Catholic bishops and those who advise them in these issues will see the urgency of revisiting the approval of Plan B for treatment of women who have been raped. These women deserve the absolute best life-affirming care possible, and this care should not include drugs that only compound the violence already suffered by causing abortions.
Further, we ask those concerned both for women who suffer rape and for nascent human life to approach bishops on these questions with respect, and pray for our shepherds that these and all answers to questions about human life and dignity may express, in the words of Dignitas personae, “a great ‘yes’ to human life.”
__________________
* There is a distinction in the scientific community between an abortifacient effect, which disrupts a pregnancy after implantation, and an embryocidal effect, which is “interceptive” or prevents implantation. Plan B appears to have the latter, embryocidal, effect. Since a human life is destroyed in either case, the distinction is not moral but technical, so we have stayed with the common language term and note here the difference.
** Previous scientific statements on Plan B’s mechanism of action declared Plan B to work mainly by preventing ovulation. Recent scientific evidence suggests, however, that Plan B does not work by preventing ovulation. Moreover, recent scientific evidence also shows that Plan B has no effect on cervical mucus or sperm function. Finally, as suggested in Point 1, recent evidence suggests that due to shortening of the luteal phase and other indicators, Plan B may likely prevent the new embryo from implanting into the uterine wall, resulting in an embryocidal effect.
- See more at: http://www.hliworldwatch.org/?p=2464#sthash.H8dPXw9K.dpuf
May victims of rape be administered a “Plan B” (levonorgestrel-only) contraceptive?
Catholic bishops, ethicists, and researchers have given a variety of answers to this question. Some forbid its use entirely, others permit it only after certain tests are done, still others allow it every time a victim of rape seeks care. This disparity in policy is primarily a result of the status of the science that continues to explore how this drug works. Recently a furor over the announcement by the German bishops that Plan B was approved for use at Catholic hospitals seemed to end with widespread confusion and a deepening of divisions between those who disagree on the issue. We believe that such a resolution on so important a question is completely unsatisfactory.
Given the findings of the latest science that Plan B may very well have an abortifacient or embryocidal effect, it is Human Life International’s position that all use of Plan B in Catholic hospitals should be discontinued. We respectfully request that all bishops and those who advise bishops on these matters reconsider as soon as possible the approval of Plan B for use in Catholic hospitals.
Picture_-_Austriaco_Article_041013The Church’s moral teaching regarding this matter is summarized by the Bishops of the United States in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services:
A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault…It is not permissible, however, to initiate or to recommend treatments that have as their purpose or direct effect the removal, destruction, or interference with the implantation of a fertilized ovum. (36)
With this moral principle in place, the question then becomes, Does Plan B cause early abortions? We set out to explore this through a series of articles published on our Truth and Charity Forum (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6). By publishing some of the strongest authors on the subject, all of whom approach the relevant science through the lens of orthodox Catholic moral theology, we wanted to provide a resource for bishops, and for those who advise bishops on the question of Plan B. Having researched the question and completed the series, HLI makes the following conclusions:
1.    Recent large and robust studies indicate that Levonorgestrel-only contraceptives such as Plan B rarely block ovulation, and most likely do result in the death of the embryo if administered during the first 4-5 days of the fertile window.*
2.    A Luteinizing Hormone (LH) protocol – a test whose outcome has been understood to determine whether a drug can be administered based on where the victim is in her cycle – cannot in fact detect that a woman is in these first days of her fertile window. Therefore a negative LH test may well encourage administration of Plan B precisely when it is most likely to cause an early direct abortion.**
3.    Because recent scientific studies have provided very strong data that indicates Plan B rarely has any contraceptive effects and is likely to have embryocidal effects, a medical practitioner cannot attain moral certainty that administration will not lead to early abortion.
4.    Since one cannot attain moral certainty that abortion will be avoided, protocols and policies that currently permit Catholic health care providers to administer Plan B need to be reconsidered by the appropriate diocesan authorities and hospital administrators. Nations in which abortion is illegal should be aware of this potential abortion-inducing effect and should prohibit the administration of these drugs.
These are our conclusions pending any developments in scientific research. Further, it appears that no contraceptive exists that is known to meet the reasonable criteria expressed by the Church above.
The urgency of addressing this matter comes to light when one considers the Church’s teaching regarding abortion expressed most recently in Dignitas personae:
It must be noted, however, that anyone who seeks to prevent the implantation of an embryo which may possibly have been conceived, and who therefore either requests or prescribes such a pharmaceutical, generally intends abortion. … Therefore the use of means of interception…fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral. (23)
Here we have considered the use of a contraceptive following the unjust act of rape. We must, however, also reaffirm the Church’s unchanged and unchangeable doctrine on both abortion and the contraception of the marital act – both remain morally illicit without exception. As Pope Paul VI wrote in Humanae vitae, “it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life.” (11)
We hope that Catholic bishops and those who advise them in these issues will see the urgency of revisiting the approval of Plan B for treatment of women who have been raped. These women deserve the absolute best life-affirming care possible, and this care should not include drugs that only compound the violence already suffered by causing abortions.
Further, we ask those concerned both for women who suffer rape and for nascent human life to approach bishops on these questions with respect, and pray for our shepherds that these and all answers to questions about human life and dignity may express, in the words of Dignitas personae, “a great ‘yes’ to human life.”
__________________
* There is a distinction in the scientific community between an abortifacient effect, which disrupts a pregnancy after implantation, and an embryocidal effect, which is “interceptive” or prevents implantation. Plan B appears to have the latter, embryocidal, effect. Since a human life is destroyed in either case, the distinction is not moral but technical, so we have stayed with the common language term and note here the difference.
** Previous scientific statements on Plan B’s mechanism of action declared Plan B to work mainly by preventing ovulation. Recent scientific evidence suggests, however, that Plan B does not work by preventing ovulation. Moreover, recent scientific evidence also shows that Plan B has no effect on cervical mucus or sperm function. Finally, as suggested in Point 1, recent evidence suggests that due to shortening of the luteal phase and other indicators, Plan B may likely prevent the new embryo from implanting into the uterine wall, resulting in an embryocidal effect.
- See more at: http://www.hliworldwatch.org/?p=2464#sthash.H8dPXw9K.dpuf

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

P.S. Since writing last week, a friend called to my attention last month's powerful "HLI Position on Administration of “Plan B” Contraceptives to Victims of Rape":
    "Given the findings of the latest science that Plan B may very well have an abortifacient or embryocidal effect, it is Human Life International’s position that all use of Plan B in Catholic hospitals should be discontinued. We respectfully request that all bishops and those who advise bishops on these matters reconsider as soon as possible the approval of Plan B for use in Catholic hospitals....
    1.    Recent large and robust studies indicate that Levonorgestrel-only contraceptives such as Plan B rarely block ovulation, and most likely do result in the death of the embryo if administered during the first 4-5 days of the fertile window.*
    2.    A Luteinizing Hormone (LH) protocol – a test whose outcome has been understood to determine whether a drug can be administered based on where the victim is in her cycle – cannot in fact detect that a woman is in these first days of her fertile window. Therefore a negative LH test may well encourage administration of Plan B precisely when it is most likely to cause an early direct abortion.**
    3.    Because recent scientific studies have provided very strong data that indicates Plan B rarely has any contraceptive effects and is likely to have embryocidal effects, a medical practitioner cannot attain moral certainty that administration will not lead to early abortion.
    4.    Since one cannot attain moral certainty that abortion will be avoided, protocols and policies that currently permit Catholic health care providers to administer Plan B need to be reconsidered by the appropriate diocesan authorities and hospital administrators. Nations in which abortion is illegal should be aware of this potential abortion-inducing effect and should prohibit the administration of these drugs
    ....
    "The urgency of addressing this matter comes to light when one considers the Church’s teaching regarding abortion expressed most recently in Dignitas personae:
    It must be noted, however, that anyone who seeks to prevent the implantation of an embryo which may possibly have been conceived, and who therefore either requests or prescribes such a pharmaceutical, generally intends abortion. … Therefore the use of means of interception…fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral. (23)"
I am praying that my own Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the USCCB, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center will demand that Catholic hospitals immediately cease use of Plan B.

The Beatitudes from "Jesus of Nazareth"

 

Use of Emergency So-Called Contraceptives in Catholic Hospitals for Those Reporting Rape

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Book & Film Reviews, pt 2


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