US Victory for Plan B!

[jadecat]

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.

Comments

[cheerchump5.livejournal.com]

As much as I dislike people being able to terminate a pregnancy so easily...

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).

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

You name, it is familiar. ;) (mi_weddings I believe)

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.

[cheerchump5.livejournal.com]

ha, that is funny! Leave it up to a random search to not be so "random" after all!

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.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

Apparently not totally random at least. :)

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...

[cheerchump5.livejournal.com]

I agree 100%.

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.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

I concur. They haven't done their homework, or are at least totally oblivious to the science and deny it. The last there bothers me the most. They're the people you can explain it to- and STILL have them claim it's abortion.

At which point a brick wall to pound your head into looks inviting. ;)

[cheerchump5.livejournal.com]

It's one thing to be ignorant, but quite another to blatantly ignore proven information on principle alone.

*sigh* sometimes there just aren't enough brick walls to go around... :)