Obama Proves Us Right

Last week we had the surprising news that the Obama administration had blocked the over-the-counter sale of the “emergency contraceptive” in pharmacies in the United States.

Obama, whose daughters Malia and Sasha are 13 and 10, said that as the father of two daughters he thought it was important to apply common sense to the rules on medicines sold to teenagers without a prescription. Defending his Health Secretary, he explained to reporters at the White House that Kathleen made the decision because we cannot be sure that a 10- or 12-year-old girl who goes into a pharmacy should be able to buy, next to the chewing gum and batteries, a medication that could have harmful effects if not used properly, and that he thought most parents feel the same way.

Of course most of us parents feel the same way! But here in Venezuela that doesn’t seem to matter to those behind the “emergency contraceptive” campaign. Many of us parents are still outraged, because despite the statement of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference and the various letters and protests sent to those responsible, not only is the pill sold like chewing gum in pharmacies to girls of any age, but we have to put up with a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign in various broadcast media constantly inviting girls to use it. As if that weren’t enough, some pharmacies hand out a free printed comic strip that promotes sexual license. And to top it all, some of us have had the unpleasant experience of going to the movies as a family and running into the commercial version of that grotesque little cartoon story.

The pill (which has been used in Europe for many years, where its serious consequences are now being seen: very high sexual promiscuity from a very early age; alarming rates of sexually transmitted disease; indiscriminate use by girls up to four times a month, which harms their health; and the many abortions the pill causes through its interceptive effect) had previously been approved by Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. She reversed that decision (she must already be seeing the consequences of its use), so the pill will now be sold in pharmacies, but only with a prescription for those 17 and older who can prove their age with ID.

I hope that one day our country will have a government that enforces the constitution and ensures respect for life from conception, for the health and dignity of our girls and teenagers, and that devotes itself to education in values and to respecting the Venezuelan family.

And to everyone involved in this matter I say only this: if you care at all about the future of girls and teenagers, invest that money in raising responsible young people who understand that they have an intelligence and a will they can use to control themselves and to have a healthy sexuality within marriage, for the good of spouses, the family and society.

If you need advice, we are at your service to give you a few courses, and we can also introduce you to plenty of young women and men raised this way, happy and determined to wait until marriage to live their sexuality in a healthy way. They could set you a great example.