>>Valley Patriot>> |
The Massachusetts Legislature overwhelmingly passed a measure last month making the pill accessible to women and rape victims for use as emergency contraception and to prevent pregnancy. It is called “the morning after” pill because women who take the pill within 72 hours after unprotected sex can reduce the risk of pregnancy. The emergency contraception works by either preventing fertilization or ovulation, or by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg - thereby preventing pregnancy. The morning after pill is not the same as the abortion pill RU-486 because, according to the Mayo Clinic, “emergency contraception prevents pregnancies from forming, while the abortion pill terminates the developing fertilized egg attached to the uterine wall.” At the Massachusetts State House, all local state representatives who voted on the measure supported the bill except for State Representative Willie Lantigua. Governor Romney has since vetoed the measure, but State Senator Steve Baddour (D-Methuen) says that there are enough votes to override the veto and make the pill legally accessible to women across the state. “This is a critical issue for so many women,” Baddour said. “What we are mainly talking about here is helping victims of rape and preventing a pregnancy that could ultimately result in an abortion a few months later. I know that many people who are pro-life oppose the bill and the governor has vetoed it, but this is not an abortion pill,” Baddour added. But Governor Romney and pro-life advocates see the pill as no different from any other abortion procedure because, in some cases, an already fertilized egg is prevented from implanting itself in the uterus. Governor Romney also says that he vetoed the bill because of a provision that would allow minors to obtain the pill without parental consent. However, because the medical field defines emergency contraception as a contraceptive, state laws requiring parental consent for contraception have always been invalidated as unconstitutional. When asked
by The Valley Patriot why he did not support the bill,
Representative Willie Lantigua said “no Lantigua was also asked to give the public an understanding of his views as to whether or not he considered the morning after pill the same as abortion and, again, Lantigua repeated that he had “no comment.” On the other hand, State Representative Barbara L’Italien sees the morning after pill as “middle ground” between pro-abortion advocates such as herself and pro-life advocates who oppose abortion. She agreed with Senator Baddour’s assessment. “Given that half of all pregnancies are unwanted, and half of those are terminated through abortion, emergency contraception is preventative in nature and therefore, should be middle ground for those who wish to reduce the number of abortions in our state,” she said. Former Lawrence City Councilor and At-Large candidate Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez said she was “thrilled” that the Massachusetts Legislature approved the measure saying, “the morning after pill is a critical part of rape survival and a preventative measure for women.” Once the legislature overrides the Governor’s veto, women’s support groups like the one at the Lawrence YWCA can provide information about the pill to victims of rape and sexual assult. Alvarez-Rodriguez,
a long-time woman’s rights advocate, touted the
“great work” of victim advocacy groups like She said she was also glad to hear that places like the YWCA Rape Crisis Program in Lawrence would soon be allowed to advise rape victims of the morning after pill as part of their counseling and support. “Women need these services and I have met so many battered women and rape survivors who are now in healthy relationships because of programs like these,” Alvarz-Rodriguez said. The Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Program at the YWCA of Greater Lawrence served 118 women last year. The services provided to victims included individual counseling/support, support group participation and police, court, and medical advocacy services combined, in addition to other supportive services. The Lawrence General Hospital is the only hospital in the northeast region which currently offers the morning after pill under the SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program. Last April, Dr. Barbara Herbert, an attending physician at the Lawrence General Hospital, testified before the Legislature’s Committee on Public Health saying that she was “proud” Lawrence General Hospital offers rape victims the morning after pill to prevent pregnancy. Herbert
testified that Lawrence General Hospital treats about 240
victims of sexual assault and rape every year. Herbert
estimated that approximately 40 percent of those treated
for sexual assault are less than 12 years old. According to the Lawrence General Hospital website, SANE has an on-call nurse to respond to sexual assault victims 24 hours a day. Linda Molchan, the northeast regional coordinator for SANE, is listed as the contact person and can be reached at (978) 683-4000, extension 2627. Vilma Lori
is the Director of Women’s Services at the
YWCA. She can be reached at 978-687-0331
x1032. The rape crisis phone number is
1-877-509-YWCA. Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
Here in Massachusetts, rape victims will
soon have access to emergency contraception, commonly
know as “the morning after pill.”
comment.” When asked why he did not
support it for rape victims, he still had “no
comment.” 
the one at the YWCA in Lawrence.