Overruling of FDA's Decision Will Only Bring More Unplanned Pregnancies

           Wow. I am shocked by the news that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to make emergency contraception available over the counter for all women at any age. Research shows that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective. If she had not overruled this decision, Plan B One-Step, condoms, and pregnancy tests would have become available on the shelves of pharmacies, grocery stores, etc. and would have given women of all ages a chance to prevent an unintended pregnancy. This overruling means that women under the age of 17 will have to get a prescription for Plan B One-Step, which then brings in the issue of dealing with parents, humiliation, and timing. Plan B One-Step can be taken up to three days after unprotected sex, but the percentage of protection decreased by 25% everyday you wait. Time is of the essence and if a teen has to get a prescription, the chances of that being done in time are slim. As it is already, the US has the highest rate of unplanned pregnancies and abortions than any other country in the developed world. This needs to be addressed, not pushed aside or overruled.

            The author of this article is Sharon Camp, who is the president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, which is a nonprofit organization that works to advance sexual and reproductive health. Camp is clearly upset about the issue and is not shy to say so. She states, “The only groups opposing the FDA's decision were self-styled "pro-family" groups that oppose emergency contraception -- and most other methods of modern contraception – outright”, “To invoke 11-year-olds was not only inflammatory, but diversionary”, and “The entirely science-based decision by the FDA to make emergency contraception more easily available was a chance to take an important step forward for women and for our society. Instead we've taken a huge step back” (cnn.com). As you can see, she is very angry about this overruling, as am I. In the article, Camp used statistics like fewer than 1% of 11-year-old girls have had sexual intercourse and close to half of girls have had sex by their 17^th birthday. As she explains, these statistics are real and have effects on the teens that have unplanned pregnancies. Camp does a great job of persuading her readers and making a point about this issue.

Click here to read this great article!