"abortion pill" without an Rx
Moms View Message Board: The Kitchen Table (Debating Board): "abortion pill" without an Rx
I can not believe that the FDA has approved this pill for over 18 year olds to buy OTC without a Rx. It has more potency in one pill than regular BCs.
What are they thinking?
That they've tested it and it's safe for use. Just because it has more potency then a BC doesn't mean it's unsafe.
I haven't read much about this pill, but as an anti-abortion person, I'm actually jsut speechless that abortion will be easier. This country is so far in the toilet(IMO) it's never coming out.
On the other hand, if we have chosen for abortion to be legal in the US, then by offering this pill, at least we're being consistent on SOMETHING. That's a first.
I have really mixed feelings about the entire abortion issue.
And since this is a new thread, I'm just going to remind everyone that whatever opinion you have on abortion and the methods, it is OK TO FEEL THAT WAY, but I hope everyone *remembers their manners* in posting to this, most of you are on one side of this issue or the other and you will disagree, so just take it in stride and no personal attacks please. LOL
That said, carry on, ladies.
People have been using birth control pills in the same fashion for years - meaning, if they want to use that as a morning after method, they will take several BC pills every few hours for 24 hours to prevent pregnancy.
There *are* cases where I feel abortion is warranted, and I know this has been discussed before - rape, incest.......
However, I *do* want to say that I don't condone abortion as a *routine* birth control measure.
Plan B is NOT RU-486. RU-486 is very definitely an "abortion pill", causing an abortion. Plan B, the "morning after pill" prevents implantation of a fertilized egg if it is taken within 72 hours of sex.
If you believe that a fertilized egg is a human being or potential human being, then you believe it is potentially abortion (assuming there is a fertilized egg that is prevented from implantation, which is certainly not always the case). If you believe that until the fertilized egg is implanted and starting to grow, it is not a human being or a potential human being, it is not abortion.
One of the arguments in favor of Plan B is that because it prevents implantation and hence pregnancy, if a woman has unplanned sex (which includes rape, by the way) or if her method of birth control fails (broken condom, for example), or just has unprotected sex, she can take the Plan B pill to prevent implanation and thus not be in a position of thinking about an abortion later on if she is indeed pregnant.
I also do not approve of abortion as "routine" birth control. However, I believe that the existing life (the woman) has more rights than any potential life. I have thought about this issue, long and hard, for many years - beginning long before Roe v. Wade. While I know that some women have abortions for reasons I would not approve, in the end, I believe it is the woman's right to make that choice. I don't know any person or any entity, including me, whom I'd trust to make that choice for anyone else.
There are "extremes" at both ends. Some believe that the potential life is so important that a woman who was raped or an 11 year old victim of incest should be required to carry a pregnancy to term. And some women do use abortion as routine birth control - I know that abortion was very, very common in Russia for many years because birth control pills or devices were not easily available or were not reliable. And there is a sort of middle ground, people who believe that abortion should be allowed in some circumstances and with some requirements for second opinions, etc., but not in other circumstances.
Whatever your belief on this issue, I will not quarrel with your belief or the reasons for it. You are entitled to your beliefs, no matter what they are. Personally, I will continue to support a woman's right to choose a legal abortion without restrictions, and will continue to work with those who battle the various restrictions placed upon that right.
Just regarding Annie2's initial post...Honestly, if they made this pill available *only* with an Rx, then no one would be taking it anyway, don't you think? Would you get a standing script from your doc? Because if you had to call everytime you need one, it would sort of defeat the purpose wouldn't it?
Well, I hope that people aren't going to rely on this and have to use it so much that it becomes an "everytime you need one" kind of thing...
Prevention should still be used. This is called Plan B for a reason. Because it shouldn't be overused. I don't think that could possibly be healthy.
I think this is a good thing. Emergency contraception should be available to every woman of age. If a husband and wife plan not to have any more children and a condom breaks they have an option. It takes the decision out of the hands of anti abortion doctors as well. There have been numerous cases of women seeking emergency contraception and having it denied by their doctor on moral - not medical - grounds.
If a girl over 18 has unprotected sex - for whatever reason - she can take this pill and hopefully prevent life altering consequeces.
Yes, women should be more responsible. No one should be having unprotected sex unless they are in a committed relationship and able to provide for children. However, we do not live in a world where personal responsibility is a strong point. Do we punish the responsible people by restricting access to this drug because there are those who will use it irresponsibly? I don't think that's quite fair. Having this available as an otc makes it accessable quickly and less embarrassing for a woman to obtain.
Ame
Ditto Ginny and Ame, these are 2 different things here. This will help prevent unwanted pregnancies in the case of mistakes (and honestly, who hasn't had an OOPS!?)
Making this available OTC makes it MUCH more effective, because say you have a BC mistake on a Friday night, finding a doc on a Saturday is hard, and it is MOST effective within 24 hours.
And I cannot stress enough, this is NOT abortion, this is no different than regular birth control pills, except it's a high dose to be used if your method of BC (condom breaks, etc) fails.
Yes, women should be more responsible.>>>>
Just to add to that, I think using a morning after pill when you've had an unplanned sexual encounter and are not ready for parenthood is a VERY responsible thing to do.
Ame- I agree a lot with what you are saying. I just think this pill will be used irresponsibly, just as having sex is such an unplanned, in -the-moment thing for many people these days. Have fun now and worry about the consequences later. Unfortunately, it shouldn't be, but I personally think that's what it will become. It seems like we are making it easier and easier to be irresponsible people, aka have fun, get a pill, no worries. I think the situations you outline Ame are ideal ones but mostly cover the people who TRY to be responsible but a mistake happens they didn't plan on (broken condom, for example).
When I think of this pill, I see billboard ads in my mind: "Don't be responsible! If it feels good do it! Now you can be free from pregnancy worries. No more BCP's every single day that you might forget! No more fumbling with a condom in the heat of the moment! Enjoy sex and take this pill tomorrow. You'll never have a pregnancy worry again!"
I wish I could believe that this would be utilized by the ultimately responsible people that Ame describes, but I just don't think it will be, especially over the long term.
Crystal - Are you trying to start an abortion debate??  You snuck that one in!
I can't possibly see how the morning after pill is the same as the traditional BCP. When taken correctly, BCP's prevent ovulation, therefore no egg is released. In the event that ovulation does happen, the second prevention is a thickening of the lining of the uterus, which would (ideally)keep any egg from planting itself there to grow. The whole thing about taking the pill is that you're trying to prevent any eggs from being released at all. You're not trying to kill a baby, you're trying to PREVENT one from ever being fertilized by tricking your body into thinking your already pregnant, thus never fertilizing an egg. The morning-after pill (correct me if I'm wrong) is going to make an extremely unhappy place for an already fertilized egg to grow.
Deanna,
The Plan B pill doesn't make for an unhappy environment for implantation, it halts ovulation, or so is the idea. It's not 100% effective. And no, I wasn't trying to start an abortion debate, the original post confused this with the "abortion pill", as Ginny said, they are 2 very different things.
Now, for those who argue that it relieves the woman of responsibility before/during the act,this is not true... this pill only about 86% effective, at best, I believe. That is certainly not something that would make someone say "Hey, screw using protection, I'll just run to the store tomorrow and pick up some of these pills." It is more logical to take regular BC (cost-wise and effectiveness) or use condoms, than take that risk. This truly is meant for mishaps such as BC failure. It will be abused by some, but all medications are, and the reality is there are people who will be irresponsible no matter what, but should that deny the majority of us who ARE responsible the right to a back-up plan??
www.go2planb.com
Sorry, I couldn't remember how to make a link tonight, but this explains the differences between the 2 medications.
Plan B Info
Actually birth control pills make a fertilized egg unable to attatch to the uterus. It makes the uterus uninhabitable for a fertilized egg. It also can prevent you from ovulating. The morning after pill is wrong and dangerous. It is a huge dose of hormones and I would think if taken often is harmful which is dangerous for women who are not informed and use it often. Then again it will be expensive at least initially and probably won't be womens first option. I think at planned parenthood it is around $50 so not something you would use once a week or anything. My main cocern aside from the moral issue is that without being prescribed by a doctor it increases the risks of it being taken incorrectly and too often and will have lasting effects longterm on women who do not use it responsibly.
Deanna, I see your point,. However, I still don't see why I should suffer, or should any other responsible person, because some will abuse it. Life is complicated enough, largely because government tries to protect the irresponsible from the consequences of their actions, rather than trusting people to have good judgement. I wouldn't want my access to this drug to be difficult just because someone else may use it as a free ride.
Just as I won't infringe on the freedom of another, I don't want my rights restrained.
As far as the health concerns of women who do not use it responsibly, once again, their rights, their bodies. Not my concern.
I'm just glad this takes the "moral" decision away from docs who disagree with it's use on other than medical grounds.
Ame
|
Members
