Editor:

This letter is in response to the April 21 article, “Morning-after pill decision delayed.” The so-called morning-after pill (also known as emergency contraception or Plan B) for over-the-counter sales is far from being a silver bullet for those seeking the utopian dream of consequence-free sex. Information on the Web site of the Population Research Institute of Front Royal, Va. (www.pop.org), details the dangers of this powerful drug. Norplant, the progestin-only hormonal contraceptive (the same active ingredient as Plan B) is no longer available for use in America because it is so dangerous. Known risks include significant weight gain, ovarian cyst enlargement, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, depression, respiratory disorders and death.

Strictly speaking, the drug is not a contraceptive at all. It is abortifacient, or abortion-causing. It prevents the already fertilized egg from implanting in the mother’s womb. It is a deceptive verbal sleight-of-hand for its promoters to claim that “pregnancy begins at implantation” rather than the truth that life begins at conception.

This drug will leave women, especially very young women-teenagers-at significantly greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy and sexual violence and exploitation because of the false sense of security it offers to high-risk behaviors.

To make such a dangerous drug available without a doctor’s supervision and accessible over the counter to women and girls of any age without a parent’s knowledge is opening the door to a public health disaster.

John Mallon

Oklahoma City, Okla.