Clergy support morning-after pill for rape

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COLOGNE, Germany, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Allowing Catholic-run clinic doctors to prescribe the morning-after pill to rape victims in Germany's most populous state has won the support of local clergy.

Bishops in four dioceses in North Rhine-Westphalia officially gave their support Monday to a decision made by the Archbishop of Cologne, The Local.de reported.

Cardinal Joachim Meisner caused a stir in Catholic Church circles last week when he announced that in certain circumstances the morning-after pill isn't morally objectionable.

Two Catholic clinics came under fire last month after it was revealed that they refused to give the pill to a woman who had been raped because it could result in ending a pregnancy.

Meisner said medication that stopped a pregnancy by halting the division of cells was acceptable in the eyes of the church.