Scores of advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, assailed new Justice Department guidelines for treating rape victims because the detailed procedures make no mention of emergency contraception as an option that could spare some women an unwanted pregnancy. Gloria Feldt, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the omission "a blatant example of politics taking precedence over the emotional and physical health needs of women." Her organization, and other groups, contend that information about emergency contraception was included in an early draft of the guidelines, then removed from the final version because of political concerns. A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, said Stuart's office had received the protest letter and would "review its contents carefully." The department offered no immediate comment on the specifics of the complaints. Many major medical groups support the use of emergency contraception, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that it be offered to all sexual assault victims who are at risk of pregnancy. But many conservative groups contend that use of emergency contraception can be a form of abortion in cases where fertilization has already occurred. More than 300,000 women are raped annually in the United States. Planned Parenthood said about 25,000 of these women become pregnant because of the assault, and nearly 90 percent of those pregnancies could be prevented if victims had prompt access to emergency contraception.
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I will admit that the case of rape is the toughest for me. A woman is the victim and she had no willing role in becoming pregnant. However, it's not the rights of a "just fretilized egg" that we are talking about, it's a human life. Wanting to protect that life does not mean I lack compassion and human decency. It's means I have some. "Emergency Contraception" is a code word for abortion. So let's call it what it is here. I could look a woman in the eyes and tell her God can bring something good out of even the most terrible things. I hope I never have to face it, but I can not dismiss the fact that the child she is carrying is just as innocent as the victim.
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