Plan B Contraception Makers Ask for US to Change Its Policy.

[SatSekhem]

I took it once before the one-step was available, when it was 2 doses. I think I paid like $50.

 
I paid $25 at the local family-planning clinic. Now, my insurance covers that kind of stuff for free. Yay MassHealth!

[Miss]

US Mulls Easier Access to ER Contraception.

 

It was 49.99 when I took it, which was more than once (broken condoms, huzzah!). Then I got wise and went on a BC that was hormonally controlled.

 
I paid 54 dollars now that I think about it. I remembered because it was a scary "Oh my Goodness the condom broke!" scenario,too.Very terrifying. My Birth control pills now only cost 9 dollars *without* insurance. I kid you not. It's a deal at Walmart and Fred Meyer, but I'm not sure if all states do this.

[sailor]

I would hope that any attending nurse would be willing to help out a young teenager who came in asking for Plan B or at least give them some information to help them. And especially if it is possibly rape to inform the authorities and get hir out of that situation ASAP.

 
Uh, maybe I'm mis-reading things, but the request was for OTC approval.  There would not be a nurse involved.  There might not even be a pharmacist involved other than maybe unlocking the glass display cabinet.

[Nyktipolos]

Uh, maybe I'm mis-reading things, but the request was for OTC approval.  There would not be a nurse involved.  There might not even be a pharmacist involved other than maybe unlocking the glass display cabinet.

 
No, you're not mis-reading things. Somehow I thought we were discussing visiting the actual counter or an ER. I have no idea how I got on that train of thought. :confused: Excuse that last bit then.

[HeartShadow]

I don't think that a 12 year old should be given access to the Morning After Pill all on her own.

Imagine what that'll teach her about sex and responsibility for the rest of her life?

 
...that miscarriages SUCK, medically created or not?  that sex has consequences and sometimes you really wish you hadn't?

I hear a lot of "well how will people learn if they can just have abortions/plan B/whatever".  And I say - what's worse, them never learning and getting that abortion, or them not learning and having the baby?

[sailor]

US Mulls Easier Access to ER Contraception.

 
What are the medical side effects of taking the pill:

if not pregnant?
repeatedly taking it, say 2 or 3 times a month for a couple of months?

Privacy issues - does this trump mandatory reporting?

[mandrina]

What are the medical side effects of taking the pill:

if not pregnant?
repeatedly taking it, say 2 or 3 times a month for a couple of months?

Privacy issues - does this trump mandatory reporting?

does a teen buying this come under mandatory reporting?  As a medical professional I can say that privacy DOES NOT trump mandatory reporting.

As for the side effects, I'm sure we'll be learning about them soon. Although since anyone with a pill case can mock up a plan B anyhow, we should have a good idea already.

[Catherine]

I don't think that a 12 year old should be given access to the Morning After Pill all on her own.

Imagine what that'll teach her about sex and responsibility for the rest of her life?

So... she should be forced to wait for an appointment with a doctor. By that time, her 72 hour window could be closed. Then, she's looking at an abortion procedure if she's actually pregnant.

So, she needs to find the money for an abortion which is way more expensive than plan b. Also, depending on what state she lives in, she might have all sorts of parental notification hoops to jump through. She might even have to travel to obtain an abortion if there is no provider in her area. In some cases, due to waiting period laws, she might have to cough up the cash for a hotel room.

If she manages to obtain an abortion, she gets to endure a rather painful procedure. But only after (again, depending on the provider's location) enduring harassment and abuse from total strangers on the street.

Finally, she has to recover and try to process everything she's just been through when she could have just taken one pill to prevent the pregnancy in the first place.

Or, she could just have a baby at 12 years old.

Yeah, that'll teach her!

[Juni]

I don't think that a 12 year old should be given access to the Morning After Pill all on her own.

Imagine what that'll teach her about sex and responsibility for the rest of her life?

A lot of people have responded with very good points, but something else I'd like to point out- your statement seems to me to assume that the 12 year old has been educated about sex and its repercussions. Not every parent or school system is willing to teach safe sex methods or give access to birth control or condoms.

[SatSekhem]

What are the medical side effects of taking the pill:

if not pregnant?
repeatedly taking it, say 2 or 3 times a month for a couple of months?

You tell me.

[Tamina]

And if she's raped?

 

That she's allowed control of her own body, and that while you CAN deal with the results retroactively, it'll make for a pretty miserable day and quite a bit of panic?

Or do you think that baby-as-God's-punishment-for-evil-bad-nasty-sex is a better idea? I take a LOT of issue with the implication that 1) carrying a pregnancy to term is the only way to take responsibility for having sex and 2) said pregnancy is some sort of punishment for not living according to someone else's morals.

--Chabas

I'm not saying that she shouldn't be allowed to have any at all, I'm just thinkin it's not a good idea for a 12 year old to be able to walk into a pharmacy all by her little sixth grade lonesome and get the pill.

What about her parents? Shouln't they know what's been happening? What if someting medically random happens and no one but her knows and she get surgery or whatever and it's complicated by that drug being in her system? At seventeen you know, despite the amount of embarassment, that you have to tell doctors certian things. At 12? I don't think that you do.

I'm all for pro-choice and doing what you want with your own body. But I just don't think that a child of that age is capable of doing the right thing afterward. (I'm not talking about her not being able to decide for herself, but having the proper grasp of her consequences. ie: medically.)

[Tamina]

well, she's already done gone and had the sex (assuming it's not actual rape).  At least she's being responsible and getting the Plan B.

I'd prefer 12 year olds not have sex, but I'd rather she get plan b than be pregnant.

 
My point isn't about her getting rid of the child, as a matter of fact I think that's probably best for a 12 year old. I just think that she should have some actual adult supervision in the situation. If the twelve year old is pregnant, she's probably freaking and worried enough to go through it on her own.

[Tamina]

That there are options available to her, which she can evaluate and use appropriately.

I don't buy into the political agenda that equates "responsibility for sex" with not seeking medical treatment when appropriate.

 
That when she does something wrong, she can just go get the morning after pill and everything will be alright. It's farfetched, I know, but I knew a girl who treated abortion as birth control when she was in her 20's. Had five of them before 25.

I just don't think that at 12 she's capable of evaluating and using them properly. Espically if she's allowed to go into the pharmacy and pick up the morning after pill like its sudafed and do it on the sly with no one the wiser.

[Tamina]

I do. The reason being that when I was in middle school, a nine year old girl who had developed quickly done gone and had sex. Guess what the result of that union was? She had a baby. While it sickens me that someone would have sex with a nine-year-old (though, I remember this girl and she was pretty damn developed for nine), I would rather her have the ability to realize her mistake and then, have the choice.


What if the condom breaks? Responsibly, s/he should look into seeking an alternate form of back up. What if she's raped, as has been suggested? S/he should be allowed to go to a pharmacy and ask for it without needing to file a police report. It's bad enough that she has to ask a pharmacist: could you imagine what that twelve-year-old would feel like if she had to get the police involved or her parents? I know what that's like, though not at that age. It makes the shame worse.

Taking the morning-after bill because of accidents is responsibility.

Now, I know where you're coming from. You're thinking of all of the people who would consider it a form of birth control, just like abortions. To be perfectly honest, if we thought less about abstinence and more about consequences, I'd like to think this wouldn't be an issue. People don't realize that if you explain the risks of repeated uses, then some people wise up and go, "Hey. That's not a good form of birth control because there are some serious side effects." And for the idiots, well... they shouldn't be breeding anyway.

 
Hey, I'm all for educating our children in the pertinent matters. I just think that 12 is too young to emotionally and physically deal with the problem alone. Her parents should be notified. If she was stabbed in a school fight her parents would be notified, why not in case of this?

[yewberry]

But I just don't think that a child of that age is capable of doing the right thing afterward. (I'm not talking about her not being able to decide for herself, but having the proper grasp of her consequences. ie: medically.)

There have been no reports, to the best of my knowledge, of life-threatening side effects from Plan B.  No other over-the-counter drug is similarly regulated to "protect kids", and many others pose a much greater danger.  Aspirin, especially if taken above the recommended dose, can cause clotting problems (should the pre-teen, say, get into an automobile accident).  Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a dangerously toxic drug that can cause irreparable organ damage, and has no antidote.  If this is really about caring for kids, we need to evaluate many, many over-the-counter medications.

Brina