Plan B-The Emergency Prevention

Plan B-The Emergency Prevention

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is allowing a popular contraceptive to be sold over-the-counter, enabling women to pick the drug up immediately after intercourse or even keep it on-hand in case of emergency. According to Nicole Lombardo, the FDA has announced that it will permit the over-the-counter (OTC) sale of the highly, effective, prevention pill, "Plan B" to citizens above 18 years of age (1). The approval of this drug has raised many controversies in the United States between pro-life advocates and supporters of the Plan B pill. This emergency contraceptive, also known as the morning-after pill, should be sold over-the-counter because it is a form of contraception that would reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and give young women more control over their bodies after unprotected sex. Therefore, Plan B serves an important function in our society, where cases of other contraceptives have failed such as a torn condom or to prevent conception in a rape victim ("What Is Emergency Contraception").

Plan B prevents unwanted pregnancies before they begin, thus it works better the sooner a patient consumes it. A Pharmacist would recommend, "Two doses of the Plan B pill be taken 12 hours apart. If taken within 72 hours of having unprotected sex, the treatment reduces the risk of pregnancy by 89%" ("Second Chance"). The pills don't work if a woman is expecting a child and won't induce abortion, unlike the controversial RU-486 pill.

Scientists oppose Plan B when they claim it releases a high dose of the hormone progestin, which interferes with ovulation and also prevents implantation of the embryo in the uterus, if ovulation has already taken place. An opponent would be lead to believe this theory to be true, based on the facts that "Plan B contains higher doses of the same drugs that are used in regular contraceptive pills" "Emergency Contraception"). It works by delivering high levels of progestin, which "may prevent ovulation, delay fertilization, or prevent implantation altogether" ("Emergency Contraception"). However it is a known fact that Plan B is not able to destroy fertilization or in other words "induce an abortion" ("Second Chance"). The inaccurate representation of Plan B as an abortion agent is linked to the misleading campaigns run by pro-life organizations. Part of the controversy stems from Plan B's confusion with RU-486, more commonly known as the abortion pill. Unlike RU-486, "the morning after pill cannot terminate a pregnancy" once it has already begun ("What is Emergency Contraception"). Plan B is "distinct from chemical abortion methods that act after implantation has occurred" ("Emergency Contraception"). Plan B is a secondary safeguard against pregnancy in the case of rape, sex without contraception, or contraception failure. This pill is not a tool that encourages sex without responsibility or an easily accessible method of abortion. Therefore, Plan B is entirely different than any other contraceptive and will not cause an abortion.

Supporters agree that Plan B should only be used as a backup prevention, not as a regular method of birth control. Nevertheless, some might think women may become addicted or would use it uncontrolled, since there are high doses within Plan B. However, women know better than to use the morning-after pill often, so there is no risk of over-use of this high-dose drug.

The OTC sale approval of Plan B is beneficiary for all women. There is a positive sanction towards the sale of Plan B because it makes the drug more easily available and more effective. Therefore, this acceptance of the OTC sale is considered important as to the fact that the drug must be taken within 72 hours of intercourse. Also, Plan B is safe because the FDA would never consider selling Plan B over-the-counter if it had been proven to be unsafe.

But for some reason, the FDA doesn't want to make Plan B broadly available over-the-counter. The agency is trying to figure out how to keep it out of the hands of 16 years olds even though they are fine with 18 year olds getting access to Plan B. Wouldn't it be smart to make the pill even more available to younger girls who are less able to handle the responsibilities of having and raising a kid? Plan B pills are about prevention, not abortion.

While Plan B pills are considered contraceptives by the medical establishment and by law, and classified as such by the FDA, some abortion opponents object to Plan B pills as they believe that they constitute abortion. Many of the arguments Christian and pro-family groups use against Plan B sound like some of the same arguments used against the Pill. Some groups object to emergency contraception believing that it encourages sexual exploitation of young girls, and some religious conservatives object to it as they believe that it promotes promiscuous behavior. According to Dr. David Stevens, who is the Executive Director of the Christian Medical Association, "Removing the drug from a doctor's care also circumvents routine screening for sexually transmitted diseases in a vulnerable population, which will put women at further risk" (qtd. in "CMA Doctors"). Adversaries believe that easy access to the morning-after pill encourages frequent use, and it will cause sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates and teen promiscuity--already at epidemic levels--to increase.

In an effort to protect women from sexual abuse, "Does the FDA plan to prevent Plan B from being purchased by child predators and rapists who use it to cover up their crimes?" ("CMA"). Arguments still rage over whether the approved regulations go far enough in giving women access to some medical risks, including those who have not consented to it. Without requiring a prescription, the person who buys the drug may not