On December 23, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed its Drug Facts Label for Plan B One-Step (PBOS), removing language that, since 2006, had stated that PBOS “may inhibit implantation (by altering the endometrium).” The FDA’s action has created the impression that PBOS and similar, generic levonorgestrel-based drugs used for “emergency contraception” (LNG-EC) have no effect on the survival of a conceived human being. The FDA did not address all factors relevant to how LNG-EC can impact human life after fertilization. These factors, and other ethical questions surrounding the change, are discussed in this article by the NCBC ethicists

The following story is an excerpt from a forthcoming book on coping with chronic illness. It discusses focusing on the personhood of an individual rather than their illness, particularly in the case of children with cancer. The forthcoming book will be published by the National Catholic Bioethics Center and give a number of perspectives on the difficulties and spiritual benefits of overcoming chronic disease.