On Friday, the Hartford Courant reported that all women who arrive at any emergency room in Connecticut will have access to Plan B emergency contraception (EC).
Catholic bishops in Connecticut had argued that dispensing EC or any birth control in their four hospitals was inconsistent with their religious beliefs. This is a recurring problem with health care provided by the Catholic Church. In our blog, Planned Parenthood recently covered a similar situation in Florida where the Catholic Church was reluctant to offer birth control at a health care center at Ave Maria University.
In Connecticut, Catholic bishops only backpedaled from their anti-contraception position when forced to by law. When pressed with defying Connecticut state law or providing EC to survivors of sexual assault, they decided, "To administer Plan B pills without an ovulation test is not an intrinsically evil act." Whew! It’s good that that’s been cleared up. Nevertheless, this move by the bishops is still a victory for the women of Connecticut and will hopefully inspire hospitals in other states to adopt similar positions.