Sign, Veto or Some Combination: Pataki and the Emergency Contraception Bill

As Gov. George E. Pataki prepares to decide the fate of a bill to make emergency contraception available to women and girls, his associates say one of the courses he is considering is a compromise.

For weeks, those on both sides of the issue have been saying that what the governor does on this bill will be an indication of whether he will run for the White House.

A simple veto could indicate that he was trying to win support among Republican voters nationwide who are opposed to abortion, they said, and simply signing it could show that Mr. Pataki was thinking of New York voters and of seeking a fourth term as governor.

I want to focus on a few stories that aren't headlines in the Catholic blogs right now. This bill permits high dosage RU-486-type Plan-B-type drugs to be sold over the counter to anyone.

These drugs are being abused by pregnant women to abort unborn children. The drugs have also been given secretly to induce abortion as well without the consent of the mother.