To the editor,
In the July 12 issue of Citizen’s News, Virginia Donnelly expressed concern that open access to the morning-after pill encourages kids to engage in sexual activity and even suggested that the availability of the drug is leading us to a dictatorship. While I understand and respect Ms. Donnelly’s fears, they are misguided.
We are required to wear seat belts in a car. Does this mean we live in a dictatorship? Do seat belts encourage drivers to drive recklessly? No and no.
Women are not required to take the morning-after pill after unprotected intercourse, but how wonderful it is to have the choice to do so. It’s up to parents to help guide their children to make positive choices, but young people make mistakes. An unplanned pregnancy drastically changes the course of a young person’s life, so I am thankful to live in a society where young women have access to contraception even after sexual intercourse. Alternatively, denying a young woman access to the pill, thereby potentially forcing her to become a young mother when a safe, effective form of contraception is available, would be a callous punishment in which the sentence doesn’t fit the crime.
Kate Sheely
Naugatuck
