OTC Emergency Contraception

Timed to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Congress will allow the non-prescription, over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception. The decision was delayed last year until assurances could be made that teen girls could use the pills appropriately. A concern was that this pill is not meant as a substitute for regular contraception, and that teenagers would use it as such. That legitimate concern was handled by requiring prescriptions for girls under the age of 16.

Here's the problem with this whole emergency contraception idea:

1) Its market is supposedly females who forget to use their normal contraceptive or are victims of rape, date rape or a poor choice. Their objective is to not become pregnant.
a) The non-contracepting rape/date rape victim can only get pregnant a few days in her cycle. If she is not in her fertile time, she will not get pregnant. In that case, the pill is not medically warranted; it is an emotional balm.
b) The contracepting woman has to know enough about her birth control and its effect on her cycle to trust it. She has to know what happens if she skips a dose. If she is on a patch, or Seasonale, or injectibles, she needs to know if she ever would need Emergency Contraception. Do women or teens get this type of instruction from their doctors or do they have to read the instruction sheet? If they don't know enough to trust what they have, emergency contraception can become a regular safety net or a substitute which is not its purpose.

2) The under-16 prescription rule is a farce. The majority of girls under 16 are having sex with boys over 16 or men. The guys will get the pills. The girl won't have to tell anyone she's sexually active. She avoids responsibility for her actions and he doesn't face charges for rape. What a boon for men into pedeophilia and incest!

3) Look at what this does for rape victims and rapists! She "handles" the possibility of pregnancy but might never be checked for other medical outcomes. She can separate herself from emotional and psychological support she needs and would have been offered if she sought immediate medical attention. The rapist gets a free ride unless he has the misfortune of attacking a very strong woman who will report the rape anyway, submitting herself to the legal systems.

4) When prescriptions are required for all types of contraception, women must, or should, have a physical exam. These are medications that change the body's normal functioning and have side effects. If a woman has an existing medical condition or addiction, contraceptives become very dangerous. Emergency contraception is a double wallop of The Pill--that can't be good for some women.

5) We are in the midst of an STD epidemic and a growing AIDS epidemic among women and youth. Why would we promote anything that might lessen the chances of sexually active girls and women from getting medical attention to diagnose and treat these infections and diseases ASAP.

Does anyone ask why? Does anyone look at the "big picture"?