Making Plan B Available to All Ages

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032301275.html?hpid=moreheadlines



Abortion, teen pregnancy, and birth control are always hot topics and recent news concerning the FDA and Plan B, or the morning-after pill, will surely incite some people’s opinions about the whole issue. A federal judge has ordered the FDA to reconsider a 2006 decision that currently denies girls under the age of 18 from obtaining the emergency contraceptive pill without a prescription. Judge Edward Korman, of New York, not only wants Plan B to be available for 17-year-olds within 30 days, but to people of all ages without a prescription. That’s a pretty bold demand, but then again, he’s a U.S. district judge from the state of NEW YORK. Needless to say, this decision is upsetting many conservative groups within the nation. Wendy Wright, a spokesperson for the Concerned Women for America, stated that the ruling put “politics above women’s health” and intruded into “parents’ ability to protect their minor daughters.” She also asserts that easy access to Plan B hasn’t reduced the number of pregnancies and abortions, so lowering the age restriction or making it more accessible won’t improve present conditions. Other conservative congress members and advocacy groups point out that wider availability of the drug will “encourage sexual activity, make it easier for men to have sex with underage girls, and be the equivalent of an abortion.” Activists against this decision believe that there should be more tests to see if the drug is truly safe for underage girls, especially since many young women are taking Plan B multiple times as birth control and there aren’t enough studies about Plan B’s effects over time. Those on the opposite end of the debate also believe that the issue should be decided by science, not politics. The debate is definitely heated, but it seems as though both sides agree on one thing, and that’s the scientific aspect. I think science is the only way these groups will be able to come to an agreement. If science proves that Plan B has adverse effects for young women, obviously the conservatives would win this battle and if multiple uses prove to be harmless, then I’m sure the individuals at the Center for Reproductive Rights will immediately jump on the opportunity to make some changes. Obama has recently announced his plans to select a new FDA commissioner and to “insulate scientific decisions from political influence” so it will be interesting to see how this debate will turn out in the future.