Here is some interesting reading on the
subject of Plan B:
Women over the age of 18 can now buy Plan
B over the counter and
keep a dose in
their medicine cabinet for
emergencies.
Is EC Safe?
Use of birth control pills as emergency
contraception has been practiced since the
1960s. In fact, the American Medical
Association, the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the
Society for Adolescent Medicine support
easier access to EC, asserting that EC is
entirely safe for teenage and adult women.
Numerous studies of regular use of oral
contraceptives (even the older, higher
dose preparations) found no increased risk
of birth defects. EC is safe enough that
it is already available without a doctor's
prescription in more than 30 countries
around the world.
[W]'hile all of the scientific and medical
evidence indicates that the drug is safe
for all women of childbearing age,
when Plan B was approved for “over
the counter” sale, dual status with age
restrictions was imposed. As discussed
previously, women over the age of 18 can
purchase Plan B without a prescription,
while women under the age of 18 still need
to visit a provider for a prescription
before they can access the drug (Kauffman
& Stein, 2006). This places additional
burdens on young women, who, by the very
nature of their age will have a more
difficult time accessing Plan B in a
timely manner than older women who have
access to additional resources. It is also
particularly worrisome in light of the
fact that the rate of teen pregnancy in
the United States ranks highest among
industrialized Western nations (NARAL,
2006).
In deciding the case of Plan B’s over
the counter status, the Food and Drug
Administration deviated from a number of
its standard operating procedures and
protocols without due cause (Davidoff,
2006). To protect the scientific integrity
of the agency from political influence, a
thorough review of the events leading up
to the three year indecision and the
subsequent dual status recommendation of
Plan B’s over the counter status is in
order.
Then you won't have
this fear too.
