Lesley Garrett

Photographer

   On December 7th, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius chose to overrule the FDA's proposal to make Plan B available over-the-counter to women of all ages. Plan B is a contraceptive medication designed to prevent fertilization of an egg and is intended to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It contains a hormone called levonorgestrel, which is found in birth control pills. Most contraceptive regimens are in the form of two pills. Plan B, on the other hand, is a concentrated form; a two-for-one deal of sorts. While the pill would cause no harm to a fertilized fetus, there are still dangerous side effects of the pills if they are not taken in moderation. Currently, this “morning after” pill is readily available at the local pharmacy for anyone 18 and over. Girls 17 and younger are required to have a prescription. The decision to avoid changing these regulations was a wise one.  Tests have not been done to determine how young girls are affected by the drug and getting the pill without a doctor's visit could leave other problems undiscovered.

    While medical studies have been done for Plan B, girls 17 and under have not been the focus of the majority of this research. The tests done on adult women would have significantly different results than those for teenagers who are not cognitively or developmentally mature. This unknown variable, for all we know, could prove fatal if the pill is overused by a teenage girl worried more about avoiding pregnancy than how many pills she has taken in the past week.

    Unfortunately, young girls who are sexually active under the age of 18 are more vulnerable to STDs. The requirement of a doctor's note to pick up the contraceptive means that a teen must visit the doctor. This may result in the discovery of an STD resulting in immediate treatment. Now, step back and consider this: Say a 15 year old girl has unprotected sex and is then able to freely and privately pick up the Plan B pill. While she avoided a pregnancy, she did not avoid contracting AIDS or any other of the too-common STDs. She didn't make an appointment with the doctor, to the Pharmacy she went instead. As a result, she unknowingly passes on the disease to other partners and will deal with the consequences later on in life - consequences that could be avoided with early discovery and treatment. It's harsh realities like this that make required doctor visits important.

    While lifting the regulations would have made things more convenient, that convenience may very well have been at the expense of the health of women affected.