Heather Fukunaga, CAS ’05 President, VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood

Deborah Roif, Northeastern University ’03 President, NU Feminist Student Organization

“Accusations and Inaccuracies in Anti-Choice Propaganda” would have been a more appropriate title for Tuesday night’s event, “Grill the Pro-Lifers,” sponsored by Boston University Right to Life (“Students ‘grill’ pro-lifers in new group’s event,” April 9, pg. 4). While it is important for academic discussions to address both sides of any debate, accuracy is paramount when it comes to medical information.

It is a shame that the speakers were not more carefully selected and screened. The event was rife with accusations of Nazism, moral judgments and misinformation campaigns. BU students deserve medically accurate, honest and credible information about their reproductive health options. Unfortunately, the panelists at the “Grill the Pro-Lifers” event disseminated false information about basic medical care and condemned medical research on emergency contraception, abortion and breast cancer, to name a few. The record must be set straight with the following factual information:

Emergency contraception, also known as “the morning-after pill” or EC, is an FDA-approved method of contraception available to women to prevent an unintended pregnancy within 150 hours after unprotected sex. The most common form of EC, “Plan B,” has fewer side effects than aspirin and is 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy when taken as directed. If a woman is already pregnant, it will not disrupt the pregnancy.

One panelist spoke of a link between abortion and breast cancer. In February 2003, the National Cancer Institute convened a workshop to examine this issue and concluded that “… having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman’s subsequent risk of developing breast cancer.”

For students who would like accurate information about reproductive healthcare and services, including gynecological health, birth control options and abortion, visit BU Student Health Services or the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. While an open forum for discussion is a valuable academic gift, accurate health care information is an invaluable academic promise.