Greg Pfundstien writes on NRO that the American Academy of Pediatricians, in response to high teen pregnancy rates, endorses Plan B and other emergency cotraceptives. Problem is – they don’t work to reduce teen pregnancy rates. But they do push an agenda from the academy and apparently the Obama administration.
According to the AAP, pediatricians should counsel “all adolescents” on emergency contraception “regardless of current intentions for sexual behavior.” So next time your “adolescent” daughter is at the doctor’s office for a common cold or a broken arm, the AAP hopes your family doctor will set the bone and then sit down for a heart to heart on what to do after your daughter has had unprotected sex. I find that creepy.
What if you are a doctor who thinks this is hogwash? The AAP doesn’t mince words for you and your ilk: “The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement on refusal to provide information or treatment on the basis of conscience. According to the policy, pediatricians have a duty to inform their patients about relevant, legally available treatment options to which they object and have a moral obligation to refer patients to other physicians who will provide and educate about those services. Failure to inform/educate about availability and access to emergency-contraception services violates this duty to their adolescent and young adult patients.”
To be clear: The American Academy of Pediatrics avers that a physician has a moral obligation to refer a patient for an abortion, a “legally available treatment option.” Some of us believe that the very opposite is true. Fortunately, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of the Obama administration’s minions at HHS and allies at the AAP, that conviction is protected by the First Amendment.
