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GUEST EDITORIAL - By
Maci Hughes Is Plan B call the right one? According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill should be readily available on drugstore shelves for everyone, which means throwing out previously set age restrictions. The FDA's sole responsibility is to assess drug safety and effectiveness. After restricted availability for 11 years, Plan B passed the FDA's tests with ease. But does this mean it should be made available to as young as 13? Should the decision be left solely to the underage child or her parents? These questions are ones that touch religious sensitivities and personal questions concerning child-raising. On Dec. 7, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA and declared that, for the time being, the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill (also referred to as “the morning-after pill”) will remain behind the counter. Females age 17 and older will be need to ask a pharmacist for the pill and will be required to present an ID. Those younger will require a prescription. Teen pregnancy is on an alarming rise in America, especially in rural areas such as Cherokee County. According to statistics from the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the rate of pregnancy amongst high school girls is 7 percent. Not so shocking. However, what is Cherokee County's rate of teen pregnancy? In 2000, it was an alarming 58.8 percent. In 2010, that number dropped to 31.2 percent, which is still over four time the average. What can be done to prevent those pregnancies? Abstinence. But how many abstinent teenagers do you actually know? I believe girls 17 and older should have access to the Plan B pill simply because the other options—having a child at such a tender age or having an abortion—come with daunting, lifelong consequences. However, I do believe a teenage girl's parents should be made aware before the adolescent can purchase the contraceptive pill. Most children can't even take an aspirin at school without first acquiring parental consent, so why would it make sense to allow them to purchase Plan B without parental knowledge? Furthermore, parents are obviously more capable of making medical judgments than a young girl. Here's the dilemma: What if a child is unable to confide in her parents? Chances are, the teen is more likely to wait and see what happens. By then, it may be too late to make a well-reasoned decision. Plan B is only effective if taken within 72 hours of having unprotected sex; the sooner it is taken, the more effective it is. On the other side is the very sound argument that teenage girls age 17 and older can make decisions themselves. The price of Plan B is about $50 per dose, which makes it unlikely that teens would use it regularly. Teva Pharmaceutical, the maker and producer of Plan B One-Step, conducted a study which they claimed showed that more than 80 percent of teens fully understood the drug's label and that 88 percent used the drug properly. Since Plan B hit the market in 2000, abortion rates have dropped by as much as 8 percent. (Teva did not release the results of the study to the public.) Both sides of the argument concerning the availability of Plan B can be easily understood. Using the emergency contraceptive can be a sensitive decision, and it is important for parents and young girls to stay attuned to the sensitivity of the decision and apply common sense when it comes to use of the drug. |