Self Emergency Contraception Is a Right Women Should Have

For over 50 years birth control has been available to women but only through prescription. There are many women that don’t have health insurance, aren’t able to go to a clinic, or are too young and don’t have parental permission, hindering those who want to receive a prescription for birth control. Most people can easily access male/female condoms at nearly any local store. You can even purchase a “morning after” pill, known as Plan B, without a prescription. So why not sell oral contraceptives to women over the counter? Selling birth control over the counter can better help provide many health benefits for women, decrease teen pregnancy and abortion rates, and even save taxpayers money.

Healthcare professionals are faced with a multitude of ethical and legal conundrums. Since the introduction of birth control in American history, healthcare professionals have been put in situations to either follow their own moral and ethical beliefs, or choose to follow the law and give healthcare services to those who seek it. A large constituent to the disapproval of contraceptives other than natural family planning, is health professional’s religious beliefs. In addition, Adolescent females who need contraceptives are less likely to seek access to health care providers for these contraceptives in fear of personal information due to their age being released. Through the research provided, cases of pharmacist denial of prescribed or over the counter contraceptives to women have been the majority of conflict in this nation and in others.

The battle for reproductive rights began well over a hundred years ago. At a time when families were producing more children than they could afford to feed, many women were seeking primitive forms of birth control and undergoing abortions. It was in the 1860s that a postal inspector turned politician named Anthony Comstock, in partnership with the Young Men’s Christian Association, set out on a crusade to condemn all forms of birth control and any kind of abortion by claiming they violated “anti-obscenity laws” (Baer). These men eventually succeeded and created the Comstock Laws in 1873 that prohibited all “sales, advertising, or information on birth control” (Baer).

Shortages of prescription drugs in the United States are a serious threat to our nation’s health and safety. At first blush, this problem appears fairly simple and straight forward to solve. In reality, there is a complex web of causation with a number of root causes contributing to drug shortages. The aim of this paper is to answer the question: How do we mitigate prescription drug shortages? This discussion is written from the standpoint of advising the current presidential administration how to address this crisis. This essay begins with a discussion regarding the background of the issue. Next, the landscape, including stakeholders in this matter is identified. Following, political, social, economic, and practical factors surrounding

Before the introduction of modern birth control, gender roles emphasized the responsibility of women to conceive and raise children. Although this began to change in the in the mid-twentieth century, with the introduction of the first hormonal birth control pill, Enovid, taking place in 1960, it was not readily accessible during that time period (Buttar and Seward, 2009, p. 1-3). This did not change during the time period immediately following the introduction either; five years after the introduction of Enovid, there was still controversy surrounding the use of contraceptives. In the Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the legality of birth control on the market was debated, and the case concluded with the allowance of hormonal contraceptives, but it was limited to married couples only under the right of marital privacy (George and Lewis, 2016, p. 1). The controversy and secrecy that surrounded the use of birth control shortly after its introduction indicates that although it was certainly present and used in society during this time period, it still carried the negative social connotations of the past, which prevented it from being socially normalized. In contrast, the standardization of birth control in society took place decades later, from approximately the 1990 to 2010s.

Although the majority of women can receive birth control from their insurance companies, there is still a need for over the counter birth control. Recently, contraception in the United States has become more of a political issue rather than a public health issue. Present-day contraceptives come in a variety of forms, but still have the same function; to prevent unintended pregnancies (Cartwright-Smith 541). Cartwright-Smith also stated that in addition, certain hormonal contraceptives are prescribed to treat medical conditions such as severe menstrual pain, excessive menstrual bleeding, acne, migraines, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids (541). There have been arguments about how over the counter birth control leads to “promiscuity”. Moreover,

There is a pill becoming readily available that would aid in reducing the amount of unwanted pregnancies. It is the "morning after pill" as it is being called. This pill can be used during the first three days after unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent the fertilization of an egg or the attachment of a fertilized egg to a woman's uterus. The question is not necessarily in the ethical issue of the pill itself. The problem or question lies in the issue of the pill being sold with or without a prescription. The measure would allow girls and women to obtain this medication, without a physician's visit or prescription and without parental consent regardless of the patient's age.

In 2013, Deborah Nucatola, a “physician” and “senior director of medical services” with the Planned Parenthood Program wrote an article called “Morning-After Pill a Boon for Women” concerning the promotion of emergency contraceptives as an over-the-counter birth control. In agreeance with Nucatola, placing emergency contraceptives on the shelf could be an easy way for women to access birth control without having to go to their doctor, along with “reducing the need for abortion” for unwanted pregnancy.

Pete’s Thriftway and its employees are required to stock and dispense “morning after” pills which are against the family’s moral code. As a part of a complete argument, the family states that according to the Due Process Clause of the Constitution the pharmacy should be able to decline dispensing the drugs and refer the patients to another pharmacy.

Women’s rights have been under attack for more than one hundred years. One of the biggest battles that still remains today is the battle of pro-choice and pro-life. The topic of abortion seems to be one that will go on forever. Women face the risk that at some point the pro-life movement could make the choice of having an abortion impossible, regardless of the reasoning behind it. Making the Emergency Birth Control pill, or the “morning after pill” more easily accessible to women could help eliminate the need for abortions.

In the article “On Capitol Hill, a Push to Make the Pill Over the Counter” by Kimberly Leonard addresses one of the main topics being discussed in congress for the past year. That topic is whether or not oral contraceptives should be readily available to women in stores without a prescription. In June of 2015, the Affordability of Access Act was introduced to the House. This act would require that all health insurance companies cover all forms of birth control pills without the user needing a prescription from their doctor. Kimberly Leonard, the article’s author, uses a logical argument to not only backup the opinions of the congress member’s that want to see this happen but also uses arguments that help to back up the member’s that do not

the author beings the article by saying that making an oral contraceptive available over the counter can cause the number of clinical visits to decrees. He then goes on explaining that in The 2012 July/August edition of The Atlantic magazine over the counter birth control was named one of the “Biggest ideas of the Year.” He explains that although the use of over the counter birth control is nothing new, there has been a renewal in the gesture for the contraceptive choice. He mentions that The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, which is the largest association of OB/GYNs in the country, reported their support of over the counter oral contraceptives back in a 2012 Committee Opinion. He states that The American Medical Association

After reading Emergency Contraception, I do not think that the pharmacist, Monique Marquesa, was acting within her rights in refusing to sell Samantha Plan B for reason of consciences. She is not Samantha's parent or legal guardian, so she herself cannot tell her what she can and cannot take. This situation would be different if the pharmacist thought that this wouldd potentially harm Samantha in any sort of way, but that is not the case. It also might be different if Samantha did not know what Plan B was at all. To go along with this case, I do not believe that personal beliefs can override professional responsibilities. The pharmacist has a job, and that job is not to lecture people on what they should and should not be doing. Professional

Health care and what people are legally allowed to do with their bodies have created controversy galore throughout history. A particular point of debate is the topic of birth control and the government. A dangerous couple, it raises the question of who should have control over contraceptive laws and what controls involving them should be put in place? Currently, under the Obama Administration, the Affordable Care Act and “Obamacare” have been created. One of the sections of this new plan creates a mandate which requires private businesses to provide insurance that covers birth control costs. The government should not be able to force businesses, and therefore the American people, to pay for birth control via health insurance because it

"We should be most disturbed by the fact that Wal-Mart has gathered the power to dictate content, even to the most powerful of its suppliers." (1) Because no longer is Wal-Mart 's attention focused on the suppliers of t-shirts, electrical cords, and tube socks, every day Wal-Mart expands their reach into markets for magazines, music, and DVD 's. In another act to control their product share was made when Wal-Mart decided to allow each individual pharmacist in the company to choose whether or not to stock the morning after pill. In some areas Wal-Mart is the only place for people to purchase this kind of pill, and since they now do not stock it people are forced to live by their political ideals. "This was a political decision was made and enforced by a private monopoly." (2)