LETTERS: PHARMACISTS DISPENSE AFTER-SEX PILLS

To the editor:

I never thought I would see the day. Each day brings amazement. Pharmacists in Washington state have become the first in the United States to dispense birth-control pills for "emergency contraceptive" use without a doctor's prescription. No exam. No consultation with a doctor. Not anything. Just a few words between a pharmacists and a woman or girl who will be ingesting the chemicals.

Your friendly, neighborhood Planned Parenthood is using free postcards placed in restaurants and lounges. The postcards picture an unmade bed with the words "About last night" at the top of the card's front side and "You have 72 hours" at the bottom. On the other side are the additional words: "Have you had unprotected sex for any reason (the condom broke, unwanted intercourse, forgot to take the pill, you diaphragm slipped out of place)? Emergency contraception pills are available today which may prevent unintended pregnancy. Call Planned Parenthood today."

What about the health of the woman? Although promoted as a quick, hassle-free option for early-term abortions, the drug may be more harmful to women than Planned Parenthood and other promoters are willing to admit.

So much for passing this off as some kind of contraception. This is birth control at its ugliest, and it is not a contraceptive. Do you want your daughter to take this pill without your knowledge, perhaps in a friend's home or in a college dorm where she can bleed to death before she realizes how serious her condition is and seeks help? Every day we read about how our legal system is being slowly eroded. If Washington state authorities refuse to step in and stop the illegal practice of dispensing dangerous drugs without a prescription, it won't be long before pharmacies across this country will start dispensing this horror in exactly the same manner to our daughters and granddaughters.

CHRISTINE E. STEPHENS

Cape Girardeau