On the front page of the New York Times, Gardiner Harris, a reporter for The Times reports on the recent change made by The Food and Drug Administration regarding "The Morning-After Pill." According to the article, women or men whom are of seventeen years of age or older will now be able to purchase the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription. This recent change made by The Food and Drug Administration over-turns the previous decision regarding the pill made by The Bush Administration. Those who purchase the pill must show a proof of age such as a driver's license or school identification to obtain this contraceptive. While some praise this new change, others feel that this change will promote teenagers to have more unprotected sex.
Controversy has always surrounded "Plan B." While contraceptive advocates feel that the morning-after pill will lower the amount of unplanned pregnancies and abortions amongst teenagers, anti-abortion advocates feel that Plan B is equivalent to an abortion. In fact, Harris states that the debate over Plan-B has become more a political issue as opposed to a health or safety issue. The change was made due to a court case which argued that the Bush Administration had tried to put a holdup on access to the morning-after pill due to their political and ideological beliefs. Judge Edward R. Korman of the Federal District Court of New York ruled that the Food and Drug Administration shall make the contraceptive accessible to girls whom are seventeen. Many organizations such as The World Health Organization argue that restrictions like age should be dropped completely. Many other world organizations have already made the morning-pill contraceptive available to young adults regardless of their age.
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights commends the notable change and states “It’s time the F.D.A. restores confidence in its ability to safeguard the public health and put medical science first.” Contraceptive Activists like Northup feel that the morning-after-pill should be accessible to young girls due to the fact that it "if a woman waits to long after unprotected sex, the more likely she will become pregnant." They feel that Plan B shall reduce the amount of abortions and young teenage pregnancies. On the other hand, anti-abortion advocates argue that contraceptives like Plan B will increase the amount of abortions and teens engaging in unprotected sex.
This question still remains: Should age restrictions be removed permanently, thus allowing children as young as 10 to take Plan B without any medical supervision? Personally, I am on the fence about this issue. I feel that young women should be allowed to obtain Plan B, but I don't know if children as young as the age of ten should be allowed to take this contraceptive without consulting a doctor. Although the drug does not have any long-term effects, I wouldn't advise a young girl at such a young age to take this pill on her own without consulting a doctor first.
May the force be with you,
Lauren
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