EC provides women birth control choice
by Ashley Smicker
ne news editor

U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory and Nonprescription Drug Panel voted overwhelming 23-4 to recommend approval of over-the-counter status for Plan B, Emergency Contraception.

How to Use It: Pills now are available by prescription. A woman takes the first dose of pills (usually two-four), and after 12 hours, she takes the second dose of the same amount. The pills cause a period within two weeks, flushing out the possible fertilized egg.

Advantages: The pill is an effective back up if a woman’s primary contraceptive method fails, or it is a good emergency option after unprotected sex.

Disadvantages: The pill can cause some nausea, headaches or vomiting. It may initially cause irregular bleeding and/or heavier periods. It does not protect against STDs. A woman cannot use it if she is pregnant or allergic to the pills.

Cost: $20-$25, depending on where a person buys it.

Under pressure from the anti–choice members of congress, the FDA said it would delay by 90 days its decision on the OTC status for EC plan B.

“ Scientific evidence and health benefits to women propelling this request for over-the–counter emergency contraception access are deniable. Access delayed is access denied,” Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, said.

“We are urging college students to protest the FDA delay and send an unmistakable message; for the sake of women whose lives and futures are at stake, the FDA decision on OTC status should be based on scientific merit, not politics,” she said.

EC can prevent pregnancy after unprotective sexual intercourse, when condoms break or when birth control is forgotten. When taken within 72 hours of unprotective intercourse, EC lowers a woman’s risk of becoming pregnant by 75-88 percent. Within 24 hours, EC is up to 95 percent effective.

I am for this new drug. In my eyes, it is wrong to have an abortion, but with EC, all you have to do is take a pill.

However, if you are not ready to have a child, you should not have sex.

I understand why women want this product. Women should have more birth control choices, and it is better to stop conception before pregnancy occurs.

EC could prevent more than a million unplanned pregnancies and hundred of thousands abortions each year.

Last Updated: 4/21/2004
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