Jan 9, 2010

The Plan B Bill - A Continuation of Trampling on Parental Rights


Have you seen the Plan B Emergency Contraception commercials yet?  If not, you are in for one big misleading load of hooey.  The Plan B (or morning after pill) commercials are showing young teen girls that have had unprotected sex and letting them know that it is not too late. I want to address three problems that I have with this pill and our government's handling of it.  The first two are freebees but the third is a call to action.  Please read this with an open mind regardless of your stance on contraception and/or abortion.


First of all, let's talk about the message they are sending: unprotected sex does not lead to pregnancy.  This is only encouraging sexually active teens not to worry about whether or not they have any protection available if they are in the heat of the moment.  What does this mean?  We will see a rise in teens who are contracting STDs.  Pregnancy is the far greater scare since teens see peers that are pregnant or have babies.  The adolescent has a feeling of indestructibility (that live forever attitude), that causes STDs to not be a factor until a friend or they themselves contract one.


The second is the commercial's claim that the Plan B pill is not an abortion pill.  They back this notion up by saying that it cannot terminate a pregnancy if it has already begun.  They also claim that it will work for the first 72 hours after sex.  So when does a pregnancy begin?  Well, a pregnancy is charted by doctors as being the first day of a woman's last menstrual cycle.  They use this day since many women do not know the time they ovulate.  Scientists say that pregnancy (and viable life) begin at implantation.  Let's look at the facts though.  An egg can be fertilized in the first 24 hours after sex.  The DNA is now present in this first cell to make the baby into a unique individual.  All of the chromosomes necessary for human life.


You would guess from what scientists say, that the egg probably waits until implantation to begin dividing since it is not life yet.  This is not the case.  It begins to divide and grow shortly after conception and may remain in the fallopian tubes for several days before making its way to the uterus for implantation.  There are even ectopic (tubal) pregnancies that take place in the fallopian tubes.  This ends in death for the baby and happens to one in sixty pregnancies.  So if life and pregnancy can begin prior to the uterus, then what is the purpose of implantation?  It is for nourishment.  The baby will form an attachment in the form of an umbilical chord and will receive food necessary for growth until the time of birth.  Plan B does not always prevent life from occurring.  It does however, prevent life the food it needs to survive.


My third problem with Plan B is the government agenda driving its use.  The FDA had already moved it from a prescription drug to an over the counter drug for those over eighteen.  Now it is available to 17 year old girls or guys for their sexual partner.  U.S. District Judge Edward Korman, strong-armed the FDA into lowering the required age to 17 without parental consent.  The argument is now being made that any girl capable of becoming pregnant should be able to buy the pill without consent.  Let me get this straight.  Parents are legally responsible for raising their children and making decisions pertaining to their well being until eighteen except in this area?  A 17 year old who cannot even vote is being infused with rights that make it seem as if the age for being a minor  has changed.  


Parents should not stand for this continual trampling of parental rights by federal judges.  At the moment, parental rights are not in the constitution and are supposed to be left to the states.  We need a constitutional amendment guaranteeing parental rights while there is still time--before our multiple treaties and international law dictate to us how to raise our children.  You may say this is not possible .  Well, let me direct you to Article Six of our constitution:  This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.  


Please share this blog with everyone you can.  We need to do something while we still have rights as parents.  Write, email, or call your congressional representatives and ask them to propose an amendment to the constitution guaranteeing rights to parents pertaining to raising children.  Do not let this blog become an "I told you so" for years to come.  

5 comments:

He who has been changed said...

I agree that the pill is a death sentence for innocent baby. Our society has but one goal and that is to be involved in anything that the Bible would condemn as a sin in the sight of God. We live with a stiff-necked rebellious people who do not want to consider their ways. The rights of parents are only important if they conform to PC thought. It is indeed time to wake up.

Unknown said...

Nate, I agree that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with however I also know that those who teach us to abstain do not work. The schools have spent millions on this program and it is clearly not working, especially in the non-white communities. (OK not PC) The graduation rates are low for the AA and the rate of teen pregnancy is very high. We must come up with something that our young people will listen to and respond to. We are fighting culture, hormones and a mind that is not fully developed especially when it concerns accountability. The young do not understand the consequences of their actions thus they make decisions that are either long lasting and usually impose on their family to take care of or they decide to abort. Neither of these usually works out very well. I don’t have an answer but I do know the schools have tried very hard to just say no but it has not worked out very well. Just some thoughts from an old man who cares.

Beka said...

I agree with you as usual, Nate. I think I remember there already being an amendment proposed that defends parental rights, but there's a good chance that I'm wrong. Either way, it's definitely a good idea to contact your representatives.

I'm curious to know what Doug considers success in a sex ed program to be. Success to me is teens not having sex, and the only way to get them not have sex is to teach them abstinence. There is no other right way. If you teach them "safe" sex and give them condoms, then they're still going to be having sex. Honestly, I think if they're going to have sex, then they should have to deal with the consequences. As Christians, we should still be helping unwed mothers and showing compassion and forgiveness to those who have made mistakes, but they still have to pay the price for those mistakes. You reap what you sow. Having said that, I don't know that many people in general will choose to not have sex if they don't know Christ. It's hard (and often pointless) to get people to change their actions without changing their hearts. I think Bible classes would be a better option than sex ed classes for the public schools.

One last thing. It hasn't been proven that birth control pills don't do the same thing as the morning after pill. They contain the same hormones, just in smaller doses. They thicken the lining of the uterus, meaning that a fertilized egg (aka baby) might not be able to implant. Just some food for thought.

Laura Milner said...

Well said! Printing this one out to show my youth group girls and have a discussion about it next week. Thanks Nate!

Unknown said...

Cool have an awesome discussion.