By Jacqueline Hlavenka
While landmark Supreme Court cases like Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe V. Wade have broken social and political boundaries regarding women’s health, today, at home, in schools and across college campuses, the war on contraception still rages on.
Sponsored by the Progressive Students Union, Women of Action and Planned Parenthood of Nassau County, a seminar titled, “War On Contraception,” was held in the Student Center Theater on Nov. 13, to create awareness about sexual health, family planning and evaluating the religious right versus a patient’s right to choose.
“It’s hard to imagine that contraception was not legal in this country at a certain time,” said speaker Lois Uttley, of the Merger Watch project, a family planning advocacy organization protecting a patient’s access to contraceptive health care services.
Where Griswold v. Connecticut banned oral contraceptives and 1972’s Eisenstadt v. Baird only gave unmarried couples the right to access contraceptives, in modern day society, the statistics have changed drastically. Today, 95 percent of sexually active women have used some form of contraceptives at some point. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency contraception, commonly known as “EC” for adults. The Plan B EC pill will appear on the shelves within the next week. However, though this development is considered a major success for pro-choice advocates, the question between morality and science come into play.
“We’ve seen people since this current administration saying no sex before marriage, and [that] the-morning-after-pill is early abortion. Ultraconservative moral and religious beliefs are overriding science and medicine,” said Uttley.
Though there is no universalized right to obtain contraceptives, the differentiation between faith-based beliefs and scientific fact are the catalysts when determining whether contraception is a positive or negative health option. Pharmacies are not required to stock contraceptives, and no physician is required to prescribe a patient with a contraceptive prescription.
“The pro-life agenda sees EC as an ‘early abortion,’ where science believes that EC works by preventing an unwanted pregnancy,” said Uttley.
Like the title says, emergency contraception should only be used in emergency situations, not to be abused or used as a substitution, according to Utley. The drug will serve as the protocol treatment of rape victims in hospitals and Planned Parenthood centers. In New York, all hospitals and emergency rooms are required by law to supply emergency contraception to rape victims. However, in Connecticut, the victims are subjected to ovulation tests and still have no access to EC.
“Patients must be able to make treatment decisions based on accurate medical information, and not the ethical beliefs of a doctor or pharmacist,” said Uttley.
According to Merger Watch, public policy advocates find that information and access to contraceptives are the best methods to increase public awareness. Currently, the Bush administration and Congress has increased funding for abstinence-only education in American public schools, which some University students disagree with.
“Abstinence is good, but it can often be inaccurate-and that’s where the danger begins. It’s unrealistic. When teens are at the height of their hormonal stage, steps need to be taken to make appropriate choices,” said Cheryl Curry, a junior student representative of Women of Action.
Another student, Anna Rawlins of the Progressive Students Union, believes the University can take measures to increase access to contraception.
“Abstinence-only ed is not going to stop people from having sex, so we must encourage people to do it safely,” said Rawlins. “[Hofstra] could more things readily available. I’ve seen condoms at Dutch Treats, but that’s not enough.”
Planned Parenthood of Nassau County advocates comprehensive sex education, including abstinence, but it also separates sex education by classroom appropriate levels, featuring information about the developments of friendship and intimate relationships.
“Safer sex begins based on the individual. The levels we feature are classroom appropriate by a person’s age group,” said Lisa Anchin, grassroots organization leader of Planned Parenthood, Nassau County,
After last week’s Democratic sweep in the House, the ban on abortion was defeated in South Dakota, the stem cell initiative was approved in Missouri and pro-life conservative Rick Santorum was defeated in the Pennsylvania Senate race. With changes like these, developments for contraceptive rights are highly probable in the future, according to employees at Planned Parenthood.
“I believe with a greater pro-choice majority, the House has a different view regarding adjustments to funding for comprehensive sex ed,” said JoAnn Smith, president of Planned Parenthood, Nassau County.
“Federally, there is only funding for abstinence-only education, but the New York State Assembly are working on a bill called the Healthy Teens Act for comprehensive sex education in schools,” said Smith.
Free emergency contraception for adults will be supplied on Dec. 6 at Planned Parenthood of Nassau County on Hempstead Turnpike, celebrating its social and political impact on the health world. Next, activists and advocates will be continuing to fight birth control taboos and are lobbying for emergency contraceptive access for women under 17.
Lois Uttley discusses the importance of allowing a woman to choose rather than forcing her to accept others’ beliefs.