US Victory for Plan B!
Aug. 24th, 2006 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
At long last!
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14497678/
FDA OKs nonprescription ‘morning-after’ pill
Decision allows over-the-counter sale of Plan B for those 18 or older
Updated: 11:02 a.m. ET Aug. 24, 2006
WASHINGTON - Women may buy the morning-after pill without a prescription — but only with proof they’re 18 or older, federal health officials ruled Thursday, capping a contentious three-year effort to ease access to the emergency contraceptive.
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I'm more than a little on the Pro-Choice side of things- for those that didn't know. To mis-quote a familiar line- let's have every child be a wanted child. So along those lines, I think this is very good news for American women.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14497678/
FDA OKs nonprescription ‘morning-after’ pill
Decision allows over-the-counter sale of Plan B for those 18 or older
Updated: 11:02 a.m. ET Aug. 24, 2006
WASHINGTON - Women may buy the morning-after pill without a prescription — but only with proof they’re 18 or older, federal health officials ruled Thursday, capping a contentious three-year effort to ease access to the emergency contraceptive.
---
I'm more than a little on the Pro-Choice side of things- for those that didn't know. To mis-quote a familiar line- let's have every child be a wanted child. So along those lines, I think this is very good news for American women.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:22 pm (UTC)Then again, pharmacies sometimes have stupid hours (as I discovered when I would try to get pseudophedrine) and that can make it difficult too. At least this current developement makes the whole process that much easier in general.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 03:34 pm (UTC)That icon of yours... I find myself watching it for awhile every time I see it.
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Date: 2006-08-24 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-25 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-24 04:57 pm (UTC)As much as I dislike people being able to terminate a pregnancy so easily - why don't they just keep their legs closed in the first place? - it helps in so many areas. Less of a strain (we hope) on government-funded welfare type programs. Less unprepared parents rearing babies that wind up being hellions and murderers. I could go on and on.
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Date: 2006-08-25 12:50 pm (UTC)But for those people that are having sex and 'oh no, the condom broke!' I like that there is an alternative for them.
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Date: 2006-08-26 01:31 am (UTC)Not to gross anyone out, but why would someone want to have sex with a yeast infection? The guy can get the yeast infection, too, and lemme put it this way: it wasn't that appealing to me when I got one.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 06:33 pm (UTC)Sorry, I found this thread on a random search. The morning after pill, Plan B, does NOT terminate a pregnancy. If you read up on it, it simply prevents the joining of the sperm and egg. It doesn't cause a miscarriage, and it is not a "pill-induced abortion". Nothing of the sort. It just prevents pregnancy, it doesn't end one. I think it has something to do with it thickening the mucus lining in order to prevent sperm from doing their job. Also, it isn't meant to be used in lieu of regular contraceptive (condoms, birth control, etc.) it is meant as preventative measure, should these methods fail (condom breaking, forget to take pill).
no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 07:29 pm (UTC)Plan B has the potential to work one of three ways- 1, preventing ovulation, 2, if ovulation occurs it thickens the mucus in the fallopian tubes so the egg doesn't travel to meet sperm (and the sperm can't find it's way in) and 3, thins the uterine lining so if the first two steps are foiled than the fertilized egg has no where to implant.
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Date: 2006-08-28 07:36 pm (UTC)I don't think any of those 3 ways could be considered a pregnancy though, so it definitely isn't "terminating" one. I know a LOT of people disagree with Plan B, but they really haven't read up on it. If they disagree with that, then they disagree with birth control of any sort, essentially. I think it's a great idea for it to be more accessible. I would definitely say there needs to be restrictions on it, as with any controlled substance, but hopefully this cuts down on the amount of abortions and unwanted pregnancies that result in children not being cared for properly.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 07:59 pm (UTC)I wouldn't consider any of the 3 ways a pregnancy. But there are those... people (to be polite) that would consider a fertilized egg to be the start of pregnancy.
Those being the same people who refuse to acknowledge that something like 1/3 of all fertilized eggs fail to implant and are 'washed away' in menstruation anyhow. That's an awful lot of miscarriages...
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Date: 2006-08-28 08:05 pm (UTC)IMO, a pregnancy isn't a true and fast pregnancy until there is actual implantation of the fertilized egg.
Anyway, the people who get so vocal and are adament against it haven't done their homework.
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Date: 2006-08-28 08:38 pm (UTC)At which point a brick wall to pound your head into looks inviting. ;)
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Date: 2006-08-28 08:43 pm (UTC)*sigh* sometimes there just aren't enough brick walls to go around... :)
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Date: 2006-08-24 08:29 pm (UTC)Miscarriages are not easy-- I have been there. But I believe if abortions are rare, legal, and safe, then this would be a more humane way to do it-- to do it early, than to have a surgerical procedure that is far more invasive and traumatizing.
I believe in abstinence before marriage, although from my experience, I know that is merely ideal, but not necessarily realistic. I believe that a marriage relationship provides a secure family structure when children do come along. I believe that aborting a pregnancy should be carefully (and prayerfully for those of faith) considered, but again, if it should be done, it should be done early and humanely.
I believe in birth control. For me personally to not do so would be irresponsible in my situation. We are poor, my wife is nearing 40, and I do not believe in welfare whoring (because that is where we are until Social Security goes through). Family planning and contraception should come before anything else, in my opinion. I know some do not believe in such, but there is nothing in my faith that I can see would prohibit me from restricting my progeny to those that I can care and provide for with the best of my means.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-25 01:34 pm (UTC)The goal of Plan B is to a- prevent ovulation, b- alter mucus in the fallopian tubes so that should an egg be released the odds of it meeting sperm are greatly reduced, and c- should a and b fail, and an egg is fertilized the final step is to thin the uterine lining; giving the fertilized egg no where to implant.
However, if a woman is pregnant when she takes Plan B it will not harm the developing fetus and odds are it will not cause a miscarriage. RU-486 is usable for weeks and WILL cause a miscarriage if the woman is pregnant.
I strongly believe in birth control, for many of the same reasons you do. Plus- there are some people who just really don't want children. Some people just don't like them. So for those people- who don't necessarily want to under go surgery (or for whom getting someone to perform the surgery is really difficult) I like that they have more options.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-26 01:28 am (UTC)I see why Plan B is called the 'morning after' pill, now. If it's classified as birth control, I see that much more justification for it. It's still preventive, even if it is after intercourse.
More options is good.
I think the opponents are afraid this encourages promiscuity among unwed teenage and young adult women-- they might try to pass it off as abortion, but the more intellectual will use it as argument against birth control, more especially when they try to push abstinence.
But on the other hand, what ever happened to inhibin? Why do women have to do everything for birth control? After this next child is born, I'd like to have an option that *I* can do. I'm not sure about surgery, so this would be nice and I can't recall if male birth control is even really available.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 08:35 pm (UTC)I don't know anything about Inhibin, so I can't help you there. I would like to see more options for men- but with things like Viagra taking the fore it seems more like the research is going to helping men get it up and not birth control.
"This next child" are you and the wife expecting another one?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-28 11:28 pm (UTC)"This next child" are you and the wife expecting another one?
Yes'm.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-25 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-25 01:36 pm (UTC)But, I also don't see why belief in birth control should affect your status as a Catholic.