Cynics Unlimited

The American Food and Drug Administration is now allowing non-prescription access to the contraceptive Plan B, otherwise known as the “Morning After Pill”

Planned Parenthood hailed Thursday’s decision by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to allow nonprescription sales of the pills to adult women, saying expanded access could prevent up to 1.5 million unintended pregnancies and 800,000 abortions a year.
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Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. has sold Plan B as a prescription drug since 1999. Nonprescription pill sales should begin by year’s end. The cost “could be slightly higher” than the $25 to $40 now charged, said Barr spokeswoman Carol Cox.

Naturally, abstinence advocates and religious types are up in arms about the proliferation of yet another birth control device (some liken it to abortion since the pill is designed to work after the point of conception). However, these people miss the big picture, as Shay of BookerRising eloquently delineates -

Responsible people will probably remain responsible, by protecting themselves while having sex in the first place. Plan B is also a backup measure for folks who are generally [sic] responsible, but occasionally exhibit irresponsible behavior. However, this especially helps society lower the social costs forced on us by chronically irresponsible people. We shouldn’t have to pay the costs of their actions, so better to cut the repercussions of their actions off at the pass very early on - by preventing conception in the first place - than us suffer later. As a pro-choice advocate, I ask pro-life advocates: would you rather chronically irresponsible folks resort to this pill…or get multiple abortions down the line? I know one woman who has had 10 - yes, 10 - abortions. Others, 3 to 6 abortions. I assume that you would rather that these women take the pill. You are picking the wrong battle to fight. Be pragmatic here.

Shay’s position deserves consideration – sometimes ideologues in the Pro-Life camp need to recognize not everyone is comparatively in love with their religious or absolutist doctrine. Abstinence may be 100% effective against unwanted or “socially unacceptable” pregnancy but so would sterilization. There are people who support both practices but obviously such solutions aren’t universally appealing.

The truth of the matter is that everyone – pro-life and pro-choice- has a role to play in preventing or dealing with unplanned/undesirable pregnancies. If the two factions could set aside their mutual hatred for a little while, they could cooperate to provide a powerful plan of attack:

• Middle school sex education can be coupled with heavy abstinence programs. Most people would agree there is no benefit in preteen or early teen sex (and most women I’ve spoken to who engaged in such activity regret it)
• High school education, allowing for the fact that some kids are obviously going to become sexually active, could add more pro-choice content: birth control pills, condoms, Plan B Pill etc. By high school age, nearly all young people are thinking about sexual activity and will at least contemplate exploring life beyond “just say no”. Society should at least implore them to do so responsibly.
• Upon discovery of pregnancy where the Plan B pill does not apply, pro-life groups should be given the opportunity to promote alternatives to abortion. Adoption is the most obvious alternative and may appeal to distraught young women who do not want to “kill the baby” but also know they are not ready for motherhood
• And finally, as a last resort, access to abortion

If such a plan were implemented effectively and with full cooperation between school systems / churches / governments, the number of abortions in North America could be dramatically reduced. Unfortunately, the game of politics would never allow side A to make a deal with the devil on side B. The losers of course are the women with unwanted pregnancies and to a lesser extent society. It is time for compromise.