Here’s the Real Reason That Plano's Turning Point Rape Crisis Center Should Be in the News

It’s a crying shame that when The Turning Point rape crisis center in Plano finally made local headlines, it was for the wrong reason.But as Collin County residents look at the facts, I believe they will come to the same conclusion I have: We should all proudly wave a banner of thanks that Plano is home to one of only two rape crisis centers in Texas that has an on-site clinic staffed by forensic nurses.The Turning Point unfairly became swamped in controversy this month after Plano Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Anthony Ricciardelli questioned municipal grant dollars going to the center because -- as required by law -- its new clinic dispenses the Plan B pill, a form of emergency contraception.In response to public speakers who showed up at a council meeting Monday night to support the rape crisis center, Ricciardelli said, “I have a deep conviction of conscience of unborn life. I care deeply about sexual assault survivors and I care deeply about unborn children.” I too care deeply about unborn children and increasingly am deeply conflicted about the abortion issue.However, The Turning Point debate is hardly about that. The Plan B pill, also called the morning after pill, delays the ovaries’ release of an egg and can prevent the egg’s fertilization or implantation in the uterus. A rape survivor visiting the rape crisis center can only receive the medication if she visits within 72 hours of her attack and a pregnancy test first comes back negative.Most important, the Plan B pill does not abort a pregnancy, it only prevents one.  Continue reading...