Image from NPR
2 Questions.
#1: Who thinks it’s a good idea for a 13 year old to have a child?
Okay… we can probably all agree on that one.
#2: How do we prevent 13 year old’s from having children.
Okay… that complicated.
It has also gotten a little more complicated by a decision made in Washington by President Obama last week.
Here’s the background… An emergency contraceptive tablet called “Plan B” was being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its safety and effectiveness. The FDA declared Plan B was safe for girls to use and should be available to all ages without prescription (it had previously been available only to those over 17).
But then the Obama administration jump into the fray.
Last Wednesday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA’s decision, restricting access to this emergency contraception for all minors under 17. She wasn’t convinced Plan B was safe enough for younger children.
President Obama announced that he supported the Secretary’s decision.
This got lots of folks frustrated with the President. Many think his decision was based less on child safety and more on election politics.
Here’s what some are arguing:
1. Plan B is Safe - Check out this list of 5 commons drugs more dangerous than Plan B. Should we be stashing Advil behind the counter too?
2. Increases Barriers for Everyone - Fact: Emergency contraception is more effective the sooner you take it. Putting Plan B behind the counter and requiring ID verification increases the barriers to everyone – here are some stories about women’s adverse experiences trying to get Plan B
3. Disproportionately Hurts Young Women of Color – The age requirement hurts young African-American and Latina women, who have much higher rates of accidental pregnancy that young white women. Requiring an ID also prevents undocumented immigrants who lack ID from accessing emergency contraception. Check out ColorLines coverage of the issue for more.
4. The Daughter Test is Dumb - When Obama came out supporting Sebelius’s, he prefaced his support by saying “as the father of two daughters.” The writers at Feministing explored the idea of making restrictive public policy decisions based on what we would want our daughters to do over the summer.
5. Increases abortions - Limiting access to contraception decreases use of said contraception. Decreased use of contraception increases unintended pregnancies. An increase in unintended pregnancies is pretty likely to cause an increase in abortions.
6. Decisions should be based on science not politics - FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg
reviewed and thoughtfully considered the data, clinical information, and analysis [and found that] Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential.
So naturally, a political decision was made to overrule this decision.
7. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine all agree with the FDA – and disagree with Sebelius and Obama. Decisions about the well-being of women’s reproductive health should be made by medical experts – not by politicians attempting to placate conservatives.
What’s your take on the Plan B brouhaha?
