No Plan C for Morning After Pill

December 8th, 2011 - By Brande Victorian

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathy Sebelius shut down the FDA’s recommendation that Plan B One-Step emergency contraception, also known as the “morning-after pill,” be made available over the counter without age restrictions yesterday.

While FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the science proves that the pill is safe and effective for all women of child-bearing age, Sebelius said that doesn’t necessarily mean girls are mentally and emotionally responsible to handle the freedom that goes along with making the pill available without a prescription. Therefore, women ages 16 and younger must continue to obtain a prescription to access Plan B, while women 17 and up can simply ask for it at the pharmacy. She said in a statement:

“The switch from prescription to over the counter for this product requires that we have enough evidence to show that those who use this medicine can understand the label and use the product appropriately. I do not believe that Teva’s [the manufacturer of the drug] application met that standard.”

I agree with Sebelius’ point of responsibility, but I think it’s also important to look at the potential for greater good. If young women can’t access Plan B within 72 hours of having unprotected sex, will they continue to resort to more extreme measures or have to deal with unwanted pregnancies? If there’s concern about young girls understanding product labels, why not simplify the language and enforce a policy that would require pharmacists to more thoroughly explain the pill and its side effects?

The goal of Plan B is certainly not to have young girls popping pills as a first line of defense against pregnancy—or to mistake it as a barrier to disease—but with girls engaging in sexual activity at increasingly younger ages, it seems only a matter of time before age restrictions have to be lifted.

Do you agree with Sebelius’s ruling or do you think the pill should be available over the counter to all women, regardless of age?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • calidreamn

    The funny thing about it is that in CA birth control IS free. Any female reproductive health service is covered by the state. With that being said I still know plenty of GROWN WOMEN who still don’t use birth control or the Plan B pill. So it doesn’t matter how mature you’re expected to be at any age, if a female is irresponsible then she’s just irresponsible. Whether 15 or 25. Just because you make this pill more accesible to young girls it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use them. You tell them not to have sex but hey still do right? You tell them to use condoms if they do but they don’t right? In my opinion, they think they’re grown enough to do what they want so let them deal with the consequences just like a real grown up would have to.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AE332VZJBOER5P22LIDGAQYCWE Bella

    IT Should be available for everyone. Everyone remembers that girl who dropped out in junior high because she got knocked up by her too old for her boyfriend. Or the girl who you heard got the crap beat out of her by her father because she was pregnant.

  • sweettea

    I started taking birth control pills at 16. I made an appointment with my family md and got a prescription and never said a word about it to my mom. Condoms were cool and all my friends had colors and flavors. This was back in the 90s when they were pressing that ‘no glove no love’ campaign at my school hard. Never not one scare all my kids were planned and concieved after marriage. Teens are capable of being responsible and informed if all the information is presented and they are treated with respect. Arbitrary age limits don’t stop hormones and biology.

  • Ms_Sunshine9898

    it’s like my home girl said, “I mean i do what i do cause all I have to do is just pop a Plan B and it’s all good, no big deal.” that’s the mentality teenagers will have if it’s more accessible. by making it prescription only for the younger generations forces parents to get involved with their teen’s sex life. Parents need to be held accountable for what their kids are doing so i say kudos to the agency that stopped this. . .

    • F3ral Anarchy

      what happens if a sober and understanding parent is not available?  So instead of allowing all females of any age access to this the child should be made to go have an abortion or carry the child to term?!

      • Ms_Sunshine9898

        I mean given that is a possibly, but come on let’s be realistic, that’s not going to happen in the majority of situations. Most parents are going to want to make sure their daughters get the pill because if they have to pay for an abortion or a baby, it’s coming out of their pockets. What’s 40 bucks to hundreds of thousands of dollars over 18 years? exactly.

        • F3ral Anarchy

          IF the parent(s) have the money.  birth control is not given out for free by the state (((except condoms))).  and lets face it white people have the family support to be able to put together money for the pill.  blacks and latinos families with the income to support the pill etc i can see also…but what about the kids whose families are broke?  what about welfare recipients?  what about the girls who are raped and to ashamed and afraid to speak to a parent or another adult assuming one is around to speak to?

          • Ms_Sunshine9898

            With that being said, if that’s the case then what difference if it’s over the counter going to make vs anyone under 17 requiring a prescription? The price of it doesn’t change. Somewhere along the way, a parent is going to have to get involved whether or not the girl chooses to disclose a rape. Women maybe ashamed of rape, but more than likely, they’re not going jeopardize their health in favor of hiding their shame. Furthermore, going to the hospital or doctor for the prescription encourages them to get the help they need for the Plan B, treatment, and psychological counseling and possibly reporting their rapist. And let’s be honest, if a welfare recipient has unprotected sex because of lack of protection due to funds to buy birth control and condoms, the last thing they’re are going to be thinking is “I need to go get a Plan B” every time they have unprotected. It’s not going to matter to them because it’s likely that they will go ahead and have the baby anyway and continue the cycle of welfare reception. It’s ugly, but it’s a fact. If they can’t afford contraceptives, how are they gonna afford Plan B? The real issue is making Plan B more affordable for those who will need it the most (low income families), not available. . . .

  • F3ral Anarchy

    the govt basically sh*t all over teens and child victims of rape….our tax payer dollars at is best

  • NoExceptions

    This pissed me off when I heard it yesterday. Smh it should be illegal for anyone under 16 to even have sex lol…like wtf forreal. “theyre doing it younger so we should make it easy for them to dodge responsibility” stfu.

    • Sugar_Spice

      Co sign boo, they aren’t mentally or emotionally ready for sex that young

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