Catholic Bishops in Connecticut Reverse Position on Plan B

Roman Catholic bishops in Connecticut have reversed their position on Plan B by agreeing to let hospital personnel at the state’s four Catholic hospitals administer emergency contraception to rape victims. Today a new state law goes into effect, which requires medical personnel at state hospitals to provide survivors of rape with emergency contraception. The new law will increase women’s timely access to emergency contraception. Plan B can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

According to Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services Inc., 40 percent of survivors or rape were not offered or did not receive the full dose of emergency contraception at the hospitals where they were treated during the first half of 2006.