| PRESS RELEASE: 12.14.12: HLI Reply to Governor Jindal’s Pro-Contraception Article |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 14, 2012 - CONTACT: Stephen Phelan 540-622-5270 – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – www.hli.org HLI Reply to Governor Jindal’s Pro-Contraception Article
FRONT ROYAL, Virginia – Statement from Father Shenan J. Boquet, President of Human Life International, on the December 13, 2012 Wall Street Journal opinion article by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. “I find Governor Jindal’s opinion piece ‘The End of Birth Control Politics’ to be quite stunning in its short sightedness. It is true that, in my home state of Louisiana, Gov. Jindal has united many people with his excellent performance as governor. It is also true that in the article he is making an argument to de-politicize contraception, which is a worthy goal. But the way he seems to make light of a serious matter while leaving readers in the dark about why birth control is controversial is very troubling. “The governor sticks to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) talking points that birth control is safe and simply ignores decades of evidence to the contrary. I would be very interested to hear more about who exactly Gov. Jindal thinks we should trust in declaring hormonal birth control ‘safe’ without qualification. Planned Parenthood? Bayer Pharmaceuticals? Doctors who are given incentives by Big Pharma to make the Pill as common as Aspirin for young women? “Gov. Jindal may not have heard about the class action lawsuits underway against Bayer for their popular Yaz brand hormonal contraceptives, which have caused young women to have strokes due to blood clots. Just last month, a 19-year-old girl suffered seven heart attacks after a contraceptive Pill caused her to develop hundreds of these blood clots. He also may not have heard that the World Health Organization has designated many types of hormonal contraceptives as Group-1 carcinogens given their link to cancer. He also has probably not read up on the studies which have highlighted the negative impact on the environment caused by the Pill. These powerful drugs are not as safe for women, or society, as the governor would like us to believe. And given the danger they pose to the health of young women, it is a mistake to assume that promoting these drugs will result in overall lower healthcare costs. “Finally, it troubles me to hear yet another Catholic politician so strongly promote a policy in opposition to Church teaching for political gain. No politician of any political party should be so naïve as to think that the Catholic faith is only to be privately held while supporting positions that go against our moral beliefs. “I sincerely hope Gov. Jindal will rethink his position.” About HLI: Human Life International: For the Glory of God and defense of Life, Faith and Family. Founded in 1981, HLI is the world’s largest international pro-life and pro-family organization, with affiliates and associates in over 80 countries on six continents. www.hli.org ###
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