Connecticut bishops' stand on emergency contraception draws criticism

Published: 2007-10-12

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Connecticut bishops' decision to permit emergency contraception for rape victims at Catholic hospitals in the state without requiring an ovulation test is prompting a firestorm of criticism. The criticism focuses on what the emergency contraception marketed as Plan B actually does and on whether church institutions should allow the state to mandate what services it provides. On both those issues, the Connecticut bishops and hospital leaders who announced the decision in a joint statement Sept. 27 could have used more help from church leaders at the national and international level, Father John P. Gatzak, director of communications for the Hartford Archdiocese, told Catholic News Service Oct. 11. "The church in Connecticut would have had a greater opportunity to resist" the state law that took effect Oct. 1 if there had been definitive statements on Plan B from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and/or the Vatican, Father Gatzak said. The Connecticut bishops still consider the law "seriously flawed" and believe it should be changed, he said.

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