Responsibility missing from ruling on pill

An Associated Press story told about a recent decision by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York. His ruling eliminates the age restriction for purchasing the so-called “morning after” pill. This medication inhibits development of a fertilized egg and was formerly restricted to persons age 17 and older. The court decision allows purchase of the pill by anyone regardless of age.

The following paragraph of the story caught my eye:

“The fact that it’s over the counter does not make people have sex,” said Dr. Angela Diaz, director of New York’s Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center. “Sixty percent of young people are sexually active by 12th grade, and the more tools we have to help them be responsible, the better.”

Responsibility will soon come out of a bottle available at any pharmacy to anyone who has the price of the package. What wonderful news!

Now elementary District 59 and high school District 214 can reduce costs by eliminating their Character Counts programs. Character Counts is designed to promote student responsibility and character development. This, in turn, supports families, the primary sources for developing good character and a sense of right and wrong in our children. Real estate taxpayers, rejoice!

What further need have we for human heroism — doing the right thing despite great difficulty? Why bother with messy details now that we can buy a pill that will relieve us of the consequences of our wrong choice and action? Regardless of the conflicting message we send our youth, we have taken another step toward utopia.

Charles E. Glomski

Elk Grove Village