Got a Plan B?
As an individual I find the practice of abortion deplorable. I wish it would never happen. At the same time, I know the consequences of prohibition. I also have a big problem with abortion opponents who don't seem to have any caring or compassion for children once they're actually born, especially when it's into adverse circumstances.
But what really gets my undies in a bunch is when conservatives conflate abortion and contraception, or intertwine the two issues in a tight, repressive knot of concern about the permissiveness of society.
As I understand it, the logic goes a little like this:
Plan B is the brand name for a super-concentrated dose of birth control pills, also referred to as the "morning-after pill," which is designed to be taken up to 72 hours after uprotected intercourse. It's an emergency contraceptive like Ortho Tri-Cyclen, not an abortifacient like Mifeprex (commonly known as RU-486). Plan B has been the source of much political controversy.
Pharmacists refuse to fill it. The governor of Illinois has ordered them to do so. The FDA first sacked, then delayed, plans to make Plan B available over the counter, and now two Senators are holding up the agency commissioner's confirmation as a result.
Why is over-the-counter availability important? Try getting hold of your HMO doctor within 72 hours, especially if that includes a weekend. If you can't, go to the emergency room. If it's a Catholic hospital, you're out of luck.
The Post today reports on a study from England that strongly suggests this is all much ado about nothing. In Britain, for three years, researchers tracked more than 20,000 women. Their conclusion? No increase in unprotected sex, no increase in the use of Plan B instead of other forms of birth control.
But what really gets my undies in a bunch is when conservatives conflate abortion and contraception, or intertwine the two issues in a tight, repressive knot of concern about the permissiveness of society.
As I understand it, the logic goes a little like this:
- I'm opposed to abortion.
- I'm opposed to a product that would make abortions less necessary.
- People will have more abortions if this product is not available.
Plan B is the brand name for a super-concentrated dose of birth control pills, also referred to as the "morning-after pill," which is designed to be taken up to 72 hours after uprotected intercourse. It's an emergency contraceptive like Ortho Tri-Cyclen, not an abortifacient like Mifeprex (commonly known as RU-486). Plan B has been the source of much political controversy.
Pharmacists refuse to fill it. The governor of Illinois has ordered them to do so. The FDA first sacked, then delayed, plans to make Plan B available over the counter, and now two Senators are holding up the agency commissioner's confirmation as a result.
Why is over-the-counter availability important? Try getting hold of your HMO doctor within 72 hours, especially if that includes a weekend. If you can't, go to the emergency room. If it's a Catholic hospital, you're out of luck.
The Post today reports on a study from England that strongly suggests this is all much ado about nothing. In Britain, for three years, researchers tracked more than 20,000 women. Their conclusion? No increase in unprotected sex, no increase in the use of Plan B instead of other forms of birth control.
"Given the apparent absence of negative consequences, and the fact that many women clearly prefer to buy [emergency contraception] over the counter, our study supports the case for lifting the ban on over-the-counter sales in the United States and other countries," the authors, led by professor of primary care Azeem Majeed, wrote.Good thing we're in the business of taking lessons from the British.
posted by Liberal Weenie @ 7/13/2005
< Home>