A new landmark ruling on Plan B—also known as “the morning-after pill”— allowing all girls “of reproductive age” access to the emergency contraception has some parents worried it may be a gateway to unprotected sex.
Last week U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled that Plan B could be sold over the counter to all ages. That means a girl of any age can walk into a pharmacy and buy the pill with no questions asked. The judge’s decision overrules the Obama’s administration’s previous requirement that girls under 17 only get the pill by prescription only.
Some parents worry that a 14-year-old girl, for example, may not have the maturity to make such a big decision on her own. “No drug should be available to MINORS without parental consent,” wrote mom Teresa Downey on the Today show’s Facebook page. “We are responsible for our children in all aspects and held up by society to take care if our children and all their mistakes.”
Another parent disagreed. “This medication does not terminate pregnancies, it prevents a pregnancy from occurring,” wrote Mary Blackman Campbell. “Here we are in 2013, almost 35 years after Gloria Steinem, and still women are so self-destructive.”
Where do you stand? Should emergency contraception be available to young girls without a prescription?[poll id=294621]