NBC Chief Medical Editor: 'If You're Anti-Abortion, You Should Be Anti-Pregnancy'

During the Today's Professionals segment on Tuesday's NBC Today, chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman applauded New York City schools handing out morning-after contraception pills to teenage girls without parental consent: "Parents aren't going to like to hear this, but teenagers are having sex....People want to be anti-abortion. If you're anti-abortion you should be anti-pregnancy....the reality is it's smart public health." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Co-host Matt Lauer teed up Snyderman: "Let's remember that schools have been offering condoms for years now. Is this the next logical step, Nancy?" Moments after Snyderman praised the "smart" policy, advertising executive Donny Deutsch chimed in: "To me, if this stops unwanted pregnancies, this is a no-brainer, it's a fantastic idea."

The sole critic of the new program was attorney Star Jones:

I have problem with giving any medications to a child without a parent's specific permission. I know that the school systems are not allowed to give out aspirins and Tylenols without their parent's permission, so I'm questioning anything that could change the hormonal balance of a child.

Snyderman dismissed such concerns: "But it doesn't change the hormonal balance. This is with a nurse." Jones shot back: "Nancy, it does change your hormonal balance. You're the doctor, but it changes the balance of a person." Snyderman acknowledged: "For 48 hours. The downside is it's not an innocuous drug like you feel lousy for a day. You feel lousy for a couple of days. I mean, it is a medical preventative abortion."

Jones pressed further: "You would want somebody to be able to do that to your kid? Or with your kid?"

Snyderman proclaimed: "I would like to know that my 13-year-old is having sex. The reality is, most 13, 14 and 15-year-olds are not having these conversations with their parents. Get real."

Here is a full transcript of the September 25 exchange:

8:08AM ET

MATT LAUER: We're back now at 8:08 with Today's Professionals. Star Jones, Donny Deutsch and Dr. Nancy Snyderman are here to weigh in on the stories that have you talking. Morning, all. Good to see you.

STAR JONES: Good morning, Matt.

LAUER: Here's one that has a lot of people talking in New York City. As part of a trial program, 13 New York City schools are offering the morning-after contraceptive pill to young ladies, as young as 14, without their parent's consent. Now as I say that, let's remember that schools have been offering condoms for years now. Is this the next logical step, Nancy?

NANCY SNYDERMAN: Parents aren't going to like to hear this, but teenagers are having sex. There are somewhere between 7,000 to 9,000 unwanted pregnancies in New York. People want to be anti-abortion. If you're anti-abortion you should be anti-pregnancy. So you may give parents the wiggies, but the reality is it's smart public health.

LAUER: Without the parent's consent, Donny?

DONNY DEUTSCH: Well, the parents can opt out if they want to.

SNYDERMAN: Yes they can.

LAUER: They can tell their daughters how to opt out of the program, right, exactly.

SNYDERMAN: And there's paperwork.

DEUTSCH: There's paperwork.

SNYDERMAN: There's paperwork.

DEUTSCH: You know, to me, this is not in all the schools. This is the schools, one out of three kids, girls going into ninth grade have had sex already. To me, if this stops unwanted pregnancies, this is a no-brainer, it's a fantastic idea.

JONES: I have problem with giving any medications to a child without a parent's specific permission. I know that the school systems are not allowed to give out aspirins and Tylenols without their parent's permission, so I'm questioning anything that could change the hormonal balance of a child.

SNYDERMAN: But it doesn't change the hormonal balance. This is with a nurse. The downside is that Plan B is not-

JONES: Nancy, it does change your hormonal balance. You're the doctor, but it changes the balance of a person-

SNYDERMAN: Star.

JONES: Come on.

SNYDERMAN: For 48 hours. The downside is it's not an innocuous drug like you feel lousy for a day. You feel lousy for a couple of days. I mean, it is a medical preventative abortion.

JONES: You would want somebody to be able to do that to your kid? Or with your kid?
 
SNYDERMAN: I would like to know that my 13-year-old is having sex. The reality is, most 13, 14 and 15-year-olds are not having these conversations with their parents. Get real.