Plan B One-Step, also known as the morning-after pill, is currently available to all females of any age without a pharmacist’s approval. However, this has not always been the case. It used to be that females could not obtain the contraceptive if they were under the age of 17 and it was only available over-the-counter with valid identification. Many people still believe in those restriction, including the current president of the United States. On December 8, 2011 Barak Obama presented interesting points in an interview on Plan B about the safety for girls regarding the pill. Plan B stops the release of an egg from the ovary. It also may prevent a sperm from fertilizing the egg. If fertilization has already occurred, Plan B prevents the fertilized …show more content…
It works best when taken 12 hours after unprotected sex, and after 72 it is unlikely that it will work (Web MD). Before Plan B was available to all ages, I had a friend who was not 17 yet who needed Plan B and she asked me if I could get it for her. I had plans I could not cancel so I could not get it until the day after she asked me. That would have been too late. She had a license and had full capability of going to the store and buying it herself with the money she earned from her job but her age held her back. Rather than having girls under the age of 17 have someone older get it for them, it makes more sense to let the girl who needs the product to get it herself. Barak Obamas personal experience with having two little girls of his own allowed him to comment on the matter, “…as the father of two young daughters: I think it is important for us to make sure that, you know, we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine” (Press). That is true, no doubt. Medicine is very serious and can be dangerous if too much is consumed by the wrong person. But with the term common sense comes the notion that it is a simple, easy decision, regardless of …show more content…
This is a complicated issue that health professionals have studied thoroughly and they deserve to be accredited. Obama expressed his concern about the contraceptive being available on the shelves rather than over-the-counter. He had a legitimate concern about his daughters, at the time Malia was 13 and Sasha was 10, walking into a store and picking up the pill without knowing what it was. Obama was concerned they might think it is okay to purchase if it would be next to “the bubblegum and batteries” (Press). To address his concern, the medicine is safely located in the aisle where the condoms, spermicides, and pregnancy tests are. A place younger girls, like the age of Barak Obama’s daughters, tend not to wander. It is recognized that Plan B is serious and complicated, which is why it is not priced low. It is a decent sum of $50.00. Bubblegum and batteries are in a young girl’s price range, luckily Plan B is not. There is no doubt that could be potentially dangerous if Plan B was placed next to the batteries and bubble gum at a low price. Having it be available does not increase the chances of girls wanting to buy it if they do not need it. Obama has clearly voiced his concern on the matter, just as any caring parent would be expected to
Teenagers will still be able to choose whether or not they want to protect themselves from pregnancy if their parents are not there for them. In the other hand some individuals think that having birth control available over the counter will cause individuals to have more sex and some women are not responsible enough to take the pill everyday at the same time. Some may argue that providing birth control over the counter can cause woman and teenage girls to have more sex than they were before and sime may question if women are responsible enough, it should be sold over the counter because it will reduce the number of abortions and pregnancies by allowing these women to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies.
We live in a democracy. Every four years the people of America have the opportunity of voting for someone who best represents their political views and who they feel is best fit to run our country. Whoever is elected into office, has the power of implementing policies and regulations to help run the country smoother. Under the Obama administration, birth control is covered by all insurance companies with exceptions. However, under Trump 's administration they are making plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that has the potential of not allowing full or partial coverage of birth control. This an issue that has plagued the woman’s community whose intentions of contractive use is not solely based off of the reason, to try and
Students feel that going through a pharmacy is too much hassle but by purchasing the pill in a vending machine is great if need in a real emergency. By having the Plan B available quickly will reduce pregnancy and abortion that many teens face on a daily basis.
As of recently, women have been talking about getting long term birth control or stocking up on Plan B. This is because they are worried the Trump will take away the articles in the Affordable Care Act that say that insurance companies must cover birth control, reproductive health and abortion funding. There are currently provisions in the ACA that allow women access to gynecological visits and birth control without having to pay a copay (Rinkunas, 2016). These provisions when originally passed because a number of businesses filed for exemptions so that they would not have to provide access to free contraception to women; specifically those who may have decided to use Plan B (the morning after pill). Some religious based businesses owners believe that preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the wall of the uterus is the same as an abortion, and to them life begins at conception (Newton-Small, 2016). Many Catholic members of Obama’s Administration, including Vice President Joe Biden wanted to allow religious entities or groups the right to opt out of the program (Newton-Small, 2016). The women of the cabinet decided that they would
Many women don't have time to see their doctor let alone run to the pharmacy to pick up their pill every 1-3 months. Putting the contraceptive behind the counter would make women with busier lives easier. To get the pill women need to see their primary care doctor just to write up a prescription, which is almost pointless to waste an appointment on. Women should be able to get birth control without all the hassle. It would be much more efficient if the birth control was behind the counter and all you had to do was ask for it, much like the morning after pill. Not only would women appreciate the convenience, but so would young teens. Often young teens are too scared to tell their parents that they are sexually active and want to be on the pill. Parent Teen Help explains, “About 95 percent of sexually experienced teen females has used a condom at least one. About 55 percent have used birth control like the pill. About 58 percent go with the pull out method, which is the least effective method of birth control”. Making life more simple for teens by easy access to the pill will prevent teens from using unprotected methods, such as the pullout method and is also much more safe than many people think.
As of recently, the approval of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, for the use of girls as young as fifteen years old has stirred up quite some controversy (Belluck, 2013). Those who oppose it cite the diminishing moral values that this would impose on an already increasingly secular society. These individuals believe that having access to such a powerful substance would encourage young girls to engage in sexual promiscuity without any fear of repercussion (Belluck, 2013). However, proponents of this new law argue that giving full access to fifteen year old girls would discourage them from becoming pregnant at such an early age and gives them the opportunity to make wise decisions about their bodies. Aside from the two strongly opposing sides to this dilemma, the actual nature of the dilemma stems from the ease with which these young girls would be able to access the emergency contraceptive drug. Before the new law came into place, the emergency contraceptive was only available through the prescription of a doctor and could only be accessed through a pharmacist (Aleccia, 2013). With the new law, anyone fifteen or older would be able to access and purchase the drug over-the-counter. Granting such access to girls who may at times not be fully aware of the consequences of their actions is the nature of the dilemma.
If the government banned the Plan B pill what will teens do if they do not want the baby or if they are too young? Banning Plan B pills is a issue because it can cause the pregnancy rate to increase because teenagers will not have an emergency contraception close by. This is also an issue because most teens are not brave enough to confess to their parents that they are pregnant. Anti Abortion activist think this short-sighted decision can lead to more unprotected sex and lower the number of sexually active teens who actually discuss this with their parents or doctors. Recent statistics show that in 2015, teen pregnancy in the United States had a total of 229,715 babies born to women the age of 15-19. In order to prevent unwanted pregnancies
Last Tuesday, advisors to the Food and Drug administration voted to make the "morning-after" pill available over-the-counter (1). The FDA has not yet acted on this recommendation (1). The morning-after pill is the vernacular term for emergency contraception, specifically, two pills with the commercial name, "Plan B", which have the ability to inhibit and, depending on one's perspective, possibly to terminate unwanted pregnancies. The FDA approved the first version of the morning-after pill for prescription use in 1998 (1). The issue today is whether it should be available without a prescription.
Plan B is a extremely sensitive topic and very debated issue, both for advocates who believe emergency contraception will lower the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions, and for challengers who believe that using Plan B amounts to an abortion. Pro-life activists and politicians have been pushing to redefine pregnancy as beginning at fertilization, but the medical community considers a pregnancy to be established only after implantation of a fertilized egg has happened. Pro-life campaigners are trying to persuade women that Plan B causes abortions by creating a hostile setting within the uterus and averts implantation of an egg with the result being the termination of a pregnancy. “The use of Plan B has significantly reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies as well as the number of abortions that would have taken place if these pregnancies were not prevented through the use of emergency contraception.” (The Emergency Contraception Debate By Dawn Stacey, PhD,
Unintended pregnancy continues to be a growing controversy in the United States. There are many women and female adolescents that are faced with unintended pregnancies. Many have to decide whether to continue with their pregnancy or end their pregnancy. The most common method used to end an unintended pregnancy is by an abortion. However, many women and especially adolescents are not aware of an alternative method used to prevent an unintended pregnancy called Emergency Contraception (EC). This paper will explore unintended pregnancy, EC, pro-emergency contraception and anti-emergency contraception opinions. There are many women of childbearing age that have become pregnant unintentionally in the United States. As a result, many have
The morning-after pill being sold over the counter to people under 17 poses many advantages. The pill should be sold over the counter because it can stop unwanted pregnancies, prevent future abortions, and can give privacy.
Nemours, a children’s health organization, created pamphlet for doctors’ offices geared towards parents and teens who have questions about common issues in the realm of sexual health. They define “the pill” as an oral contraceptive, “a daily pill that usually contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and is taken to prevent pregnancy.” Other points discussed in the pamphlet include the safety of
One reason girls under 17 shouldn’t be sold Plan b over the counter is because a doctor didn’t prescribe the pill to them. Doctors should be prescribing this pill to young girls because of the problems it can cause in the girls body. “When it comes to the maturing bodies of young girls, much more prudence is called for than the wholesale permission of Plan B use without a doctor's supervision,” Says Peter j Riga. Girls under 17 are still growing up so the pill without doctor supervision
While trying to get a contraceptive women also have to consider some factors. Such as smoking, drinking, STI’s, age, health risks, ethics, financial status, having kids in the future and so many other issues that women have to think about and consider. Therefore, not all contraceptives are made for different ages.
The idea of Emergency Contraception is not a new to society, however it is still igniting many debates just as it did when it was first introduced to the United States. Emergency contraception continues to be a highly emotional and controversial issue, both for advocates who believe EC will lower the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions, and for opponents who believe that using EC amounts to an abortion. The controversy fueling this debate centers around one of the ways that emergency contraception works. Emergency contraception can prevent or delay ovulation, affect the movement of the egg or sperm: making them less likely to meet, it can also interfere with the fertilization process and prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.