You had sex and the condom broke. Your older sister had too much to drink and forgot to use protection. Your best friend was raped. All three of you would probably think the same thing: “What if I get pregnant?”
It can be really scary to think you might be pregnant when you don’t want to be. Fortunately, there’s an option in emergency situations like this that can actually prevent pregnancy before it happens — emergency contraception pills (ECPs). “Accidents and mistakes happen to people every day,” explains Brita, 17. “And that’s why EC is available — to try to fix the accident or mistake before it is life-altering.”
The Great EC Debate
Unfortunately, there are many barriers to getting ECPs. For this reason, several states have made ECPs available without a prescription. And more recently, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considered making Plan B® — a type of ECP — available over the counter (without a prescription). In fact, the FDA’s panel of medical experts voted 23-4 in favor of making Plan B available over the counter.
But Steven Galson, the acting director of the FDA’s center for drug evaluation and research, overruled the panel’s vote and decided Plan B should not be available over the counter to anyone. He claimed that ECPs could be unsafe for teenagers, and that teens might not understand how to use them correctly. Other people argued that making ECPs available over the counter would encourage teens to have sex and increase the rates of sexually transmitted infections among teens.
But common sense, scientific research, and the experiences of teens themselves tell a very different story — and demonstrate why making ECPs available over the counter would safely reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the number of abortions in the U.S. Here are a few major reasons why we think ECPs should be available over the counter — to adults and teens.
1. ECPs are safe and easy to use.
In addition to the 23 members of the FDA panel who voted in favor of making Plan B available over the counter, numerous medical and health organizations — including the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association — agree that Plan B is safe for teens. And Plan B is easy to use — it’s two pills that need to be taken 12 hours apart. It has to be started within 120 hours of unprotected sex in order to be effective. These instructions are easy to understand — let’s give teens some credit!
2. Access is a major issue.
ECPs can reduce the risk of pregnancy if started within 120 hours of unprotected vaginal intercourse, but the sooner they’re taken, the better. If taken within 72 hours, they can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 75 to 89 percent.
But it can be tough to get a doctor’s appointment or get to a clinic within this time period. “I haven’t used ECPs myself, but my friends have,” says Annie, 17. “It’s difficult to get now, because clinic hours don’t always coincide with a teen’s schedule. Many times our closest clinic is closed before school is over!” And teens who don’t live in cities may have trouble getting to a clinic at all if they don’t have a car or can’t ask a family member to take them. In rural areas, the nearest clinic can be 50 miles away!
Cost can also be a problem. “There are a significant amount of teenagers who are not fortunate enough to have easy access to their local Planned Parenthood or other health care provider,” explains Lauren, 17. “It’s difficult and expensive for them to obtain the drug.”
Lauren’s right — if a teen doesn’t have health insurance, the cost of a clinic or doctor’s visit plus the ECPs can cost more than $100! That may seem reasonable to an adult with a regular salary, but to a teen, that’s an awful lot of babysitting money to save up! Making ECPs available over the counter would cut down on the cost and make them easier for teens to obtain.
3. Teens know that ECPs are for emergencies.
Some people expressed concern that making ECPs available over the counter would encourage teens to have sex and to use them as a form of birth control. In fact, teens who have used ECPs are generally just as consistent in their use of condoms and other methods of birth control as teens who haven’t used ECPs.
If you ask teens themselves, they’ll show you they know what’s up. “Most teens who are sexually active do not want to get pregnant, and most teens understand that that means using contraception,” notes Annie, 17. “My friends who have used EC do not use it as a form of regular birth control, but as emergency contraception — that’s what it’s for! Having EC over the counter would only decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies, not increase promiscuity or irresponsible behavior.”
4. ECPs reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
Numerous studies back up Annie’s observation that making ECPs more available to teens does not increase the rate of unprotected sex or even sexual activity. But making ECPs more accessible does dramatically decrease the rate of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. “No lie,” says Isis, 16. “I know like five shorties who are pregnant right now, and that would be different if they’d been able to get ECPs.” We can see this demonstrated globally — countries that have over-the-counter access to emergency contraception have far lower rates of teen pregnancy and abortion than the U.S.
P.S. … We need better sex ed!
What’s ironic is that many of the people who oppose making ECPs available over the counter also oppose providing teens with comprehensive sex education in schools — and many oppose abortion as well. If they’re worried about teens using ECPs incorrectly or irresponsibly, then comprehensive sex ed would ensure that teens use ECPs correctly and responsibly. It would also teach teens how to use other forms of birth control correctly so there’s less of a need for ECPs and abortion. If reducing the rate of teen pregnancy and abortion is the goal, shouldn’t we be using the resources we have available to do so?
As Lauren puts it, “If the FDA is against having ECPs be available over the counter, then comprehensive sexual education, including education about matters concerning effective forms of birth control as well as abstinence, should be the federal government’s number-one priority when it comes to reproductive health. Educating teenagers makes more responsible teenagers.”
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