"Morning After" Contraceptive May Go OTC (from ATSNN)

An emergency contraceptive pill called "Plan B" is expected to be ruled on by the FDA next week. Last year, in a decision that many criticized as strictly political, the FDA determined that the drug may not be safe for girls under 16 if not prescribed by a doctor. A compromise has been offered that proof of age 16 or over must be provided when the pill is sold.



This issue is certainly a double edged sword.
One one hand the pill can serve to reduce divorce and single-parent households, reduce demand for government financial assisstance, and keep children from being fored to quit school over pregnancy.
On the other hand the pill might destroy some of the deterrence for rape, child abuse, and incest. For the politically minded it may set a precedent regarding abortion. Last but not least, it could be argued that STDs could become even more rampant if this pill was taken as license for promiscuous sex.
I don't claim to know the answer. I'm not even sure that there is an absolute truth in this issue. The way I see it, the moral implications become reality as soon as you start having sex without the intent to create life. I'm not saying that's my point of view, I'm just saying I think that's how religious doctrine would see it. All that leaves is the question of how to best deal with it and come to the best outcome. 2Samuel12:14. The lord performs an "abortion" on a child that had already been born. There you have it. I don't know that I'm right, but there's my own judgement; I think the pill is the best answer to a problem that ought not exist.

This is just murder. OTC abortion is a punishment the USA will have to endure when God decides its our turn. The mega-millions already murdered are crying for "justice". God will hear their cries and provide the justice america deserves.

Nevermind.

[edit on 17-1-2005 by Kriz_4]

Oh great ... teenagers across America will
be getting their hands on this pill. (Heck ...
it's available on the internet now.)

America will be increasing the chances of significant weight gain,
depression, ovarian cyst enlargement, gallbladder disease, high blood
pressure, respiratory disorders, increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and
premature death by use of this drug.

Isn't it healthier for people to just keep their pants on and
to control themselves. We aren't a bunch of animals ... we
have a brain so we should be able to control ourselves.

www.lifeissues.net...

excerpt

The Dangers of the Morning-After Pill
Steven Mosher
PRI Weekly
12 March 2004 Vol. 6 / No. 10

In the mid-nineties, the World Health Organization (WHO) began to realize that increased access to routine methods of contraception led to increased rates of abortion. So a new method of post-coital contraception was zealously sought and promoted: the morning-after pill.1

Despite subsequent WHO studies which described routine post-coital contraception as unsuitable primarily because of the high incidence of cycle disturbances,2 efforts to approve and market MAP globally continued. Today, these efforts have washed up on our shores, in the form of Women's Capital Corporation/Barr Laboratories application to the FDA to approve MAP for over-the-counter distribution. Womens Capital Corporation is the manufacturer of the Plan B morning-after pill.

At home and abroad, the abortion, family planning, and population control groups which seek to promote MAP ignore the scientifically-proven risks of levonorgestrel (the sole active ingredient of Plan B MAP). These well-documented adverse side effects include significant weight gain (on average 15 pounds), depression, ovarian cyst enlargement, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disorders,4 increased risk of ectopic pregnancy5 and death. In some women, these serious adverse effects of levonorgestrel-type MAP could lead to further health risks for bulimia, anorexia, or clinical depression.

While these risks are multiplied with increased use, the advocates of MAP promote its increased, frequent, and repeated use. From the makers of Plan-B, MAP can be provided as frequently as needed,6 as if it were candy or Tums. The wholesale promotion by the profiteers is undercut by solid evidence, and warnings advising women and physicians to limit usage, or to not use it at all.7 Norplant, the drug very similar to Plan B, was linked to severe medical problems which were never adequately studied or acknowledged by the FDA or the drug manufacturer (please see PRI's Norplant Information page, posted at www.pop.org...).

The international abortion community made MAP a routine part of its emergency health battery for displaced peoples. In Albania, a prominent clinic director lamented that young people especially "use it every time they have sexual intercourse."9

More of this article here -
www.lifeissues.net...


[edit on 1/17/2005 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by DrHoracid
This is just murder. OTC abortion is a punishment the USA will have to endure when God decides its our turn. The mega-millions already murdered are crying for "justice". God will hear their cries and provide the justice america deserves.

Why doesn't God stop it then if he exists???

Originally posted by sugeshotcha
Why doesn't God stop it then if he exists???

Ah yes, THE question of the ages. Why does God allow
evil to thrive? After the concentration camps of WWII,
the Jewish nation put God on trial for crimes against
humanity. God was found guilty - by his own chosen people.

I'm not sure why all of the anti-abortion activists are up in arms about this--Plan B will potentially reduce the number of abortions. Plan B is not "OTC Abortion"--it can prevent ovulation or prevent the egg from being implanted in the uterus. It may also prevent the union of the sperm and egg. Plan B PREVENTS pregnancy. I think that most are confusing it with RU-486, which dislodges the fertilized egg, inducing abortion.

The study released by JAMA on Plan B said that "the availability of emergency contraception does not influence the degree to which women have unprotected sex." Plan B is not fool-proof and does not prevent STDs. However, when contraception fails (condoms do break), or if unprotected sex does occur in a moment of drunken stupidity, it is meant as a back-up plan. Also, in cases of rape or incest, it will help prevent abortion if the victim is impregnated.

The criticial issue is that Plan B's effectiveness correlates with the length of time that elapses from intercourse. If Plan B is available only via prescription, this adds unnecessary cost and time, especially if it is needed over a weeked. Seeking out a physician is also a deterrent, especially for women that may be victims of rape or incest and not want to come forward.

Plan B is like taking a birth control pills for two days is not going to have life threatening effects unless the patient is allergic (which is highly unlikely and also the prescribing information on most OTC drugs.) It is a stronger dose that normal birth control pills, but there is no evidence that taking 2 doses of Levonorgestrel will result in "significant weight gain, depression, ovarian cyst enlargement, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disorders, increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and premature death by use of this drug." That is just plain wrong.

Millions of women, including teenagers, have taken birth controls pills since 1957 and the effects are widely known. A two-day dose will have no impacts other than short-term nausea, cramps, headache and some other minor side-effects. Considering the alternative, I'm sure these will be dealt with.

The decision to deny Plan B OTC status was unquestionably politically motivated and defies logic. The FDA was presented with sufficient evidence, including support for this move from the AMA and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and 70 other leading medical organizations.

In a highly unusual move, the decision to deny Plan B OTC status was issued by Dr. Steven Galson, the Acting Director of the Center for Food and Drug Evaluation and Research, over-ruling the FDA's own scientific advisory committee who voted overwhelmingly in favor of making Plan B available over-the-counter.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Galson was appointed to the FDA by George W. Bush. His anti-choice, "faith-based" approach to women's issues are mirrored by others appointed by Bush to the FDA such as Dr. W. David Hager, who wrote a book in which he advises women to pray to Jesus to relieve menstrual cramps and will not prescribe birth control pills in his private practice.

Plan B will inevitably be approved for OTC use because every major medical group in the country supports it use and the pseudo-science that Galson is using in attempt to push Bush's religious agenda won't hold up. The New England Journal of Medicine said that this decision was a serious error as it allowed political motives to determine the future of a drug's availability and called into question the integrity of the FDA. It is despicable to play politics with health.

obgyn.adv100.com...
www.fda.gov...
www.washingtonpost.com...
content.nejm.org...
www.nfprha.org...

I guess everybody that is against any type of contraceptive should gather together and provide free care and assistance for all the teen aged girls and women that will be having unprotected sex and will become pregnant you people can afford to pay for the expenses of raising children and pay of the care of them.

Our society is a sex orientated one and people are going to have sex want it or not. After all we are a breeding species.

Thank god for choices.

I got the best anticontraceptive quimical castration for males and electical chastity belts for girls, that out to stop pregnacy.

[edit on 17-1-2005 by marg6043]

Originally posted by marg6043
I guess everybody that is against any type of contraceptive should gather together and provide free care and assistance for all the teen aged girls and women that will be having unprotected sex and will become pregnet you people can afford to pay for the expenses of raising children and pay of the care of them.

Our society is a sex orientated one and people are going to have sex want it or not. After all we are a breeding species.

Thank god for choices.

Oddly, being against contraceptives, abortion, or the morning after pill does not neccesitate responcibility for other people's problems.

The two are mutually exclusive. But we've had many discussions on this Marg, and I know just how strongly you feel about it.

I wasn't aware we were supposed to do whatever needed to be done because people can't be trusted.

By the way, I don't really have a strong case either way about this pill yet, but it should NOT be sold to people under 18 years old.

The problem Jethro is that most unwanted pregnacy comes from the ingnorance and bad choices of our sexually undereducated young ones.

Young girls hold the highest percentage of unplanned pregnacy.

What a shame.

Why can't people just use a contraceptive pill or condom rather than rely on an abortion pill? This shows a lack of responsibility and gross disregard for the sanctity of human life.

I use the birth control pill
Once when I was like 20, I forgot to take the pill for a few days, (I don't remember why) and I went to get the "morning after pill" just be sure....I did not had an "abortion" this is ignorant to say that, it's the same thing as the birth control but more concentrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I'm a murder!!! yoooooooooh
Every contraceptive is for you religious right a murder
So what do we do, stop having sex because it's a sin???? Have sex just to have children??? I don't understand the POINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or have a family of 10 children like the mormons?????
WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO?????????????????Answer me, please, I wanna know what is right to do in your religion


Amelia

It is not always a religious thing. You guys seem to think that any opposition comes from the "it's not right because God says so" department (which I am not a part of).

Some people just think that you should take care of your own responcibility. Make a baby, have the baby. Simple as that.

If you keep it, fine. If you find an adoptive parents, that's fine too. If you do "protect" yourself, know that you are still at risk of being comprimised. If you do not protect yourself, don't have sex.

Marg:
I agree that the sexually undereducated are not undereducated about sex, the common misconception. To be sexually undereducated they would have to not know about how babies are made in the first place.

I think you would find it more appropriate that people DO know that sex leads to babies and that contraception is not foolproof. The problem rather, is that people are not trained properly as to their roles (which is a term with a negative connotation lately).

Men are as guilty as women, and since women have taken 100% of the responcibility in their choice of life, the men have no responcibility outside of personal choice.

Amelia, that is the problem when religious groups wants to monitor your sexually behavior and how you perform sex.

The truth is, that is not their business how we do sex and how many times.

Birth control should be accessible and free for any sexually active person and that is the responsible thing to do.

And religious organizations that call abortion murder should be the first one to make sure that they give it free.

Get it people "We are a sexually active society" and is nothing any of you can do about it, is our natural right religion or not religion we will mate for pleasure of to produce a wanted pregnancy.

Onces people get over that fact our nation's abortion rates can be even erradicated.

Obviously that is not what the religous group wants, they want people to have abortions so they can push their religious agendas.



[edit on 17-1-2005 by marg6043]

Originally posted by marg6043
Amelia, that is the problem when religious groups wants to monitor your sexually behavior and how you perform sex.

The truth is, that is not their business how we do sex and how many times.

Birth control should be accessible and free for any sexually active person and that is the responsible thing to do.

And religious organizations that call abortion murder should be the first one to make sure that they give it free.

Get it people "We are a sexually active society" and is nothing any of you can do about it, is our natural right religion or not religion we will mate for pleasure of to produce a wanted pregnancy.

Onces people get over that fact our nation's abortion rates can be even erradicated.

Obviously that is not what the religous group wants, they want people to have abortions so they can push their religious agendas.

Margie, we will NEVER win for pro-choice against the "right", we are young modern women and we have sex for fun....we use protection and contraceptive and YET, that is not enough for them, they want us to have sex once every 5 years to get pregnant and reproduce and put more people to make economy run...I wonder if THEY have sex for fun or for reproduction only and if not, what do THEY do...they never answer that any way

Amelia

It is important to remember that Plan B has nothing to do with abortion--it is about preventing pregnancy.

The morning-after pill is not about "make a baby, have a baby"--it is literally about taking measures to NOT make a baby. If a condom breaks or a stupid mistake happens, why shouldn't this be available? Why is it wrong to AVOID an abortion and unwanted pregnancy?

I think that the religious right and those who for some reason, seem hell-bent on exacting retribution for having sex, need to get it through their heads that sex for reasons other than procreation isn't going away. Not everyone is religious. Not everyone is going to be married while having sex. Not everyone believes in marriage. Some teenagers will experiment with sex. Not everyone believes that sex is immoral.

This is why choices need to be available--especially a choice that allows women to avoid unwanted pregnancy if contraception fails, in cases of rape, and after a stupid decision. By delaying a womans' access to the morning-after pill, the chances of her becoming pregnant increase, which is why it must be available without a doctor's prescription.

The new proposal that the FDA is considering from Barr Pharmaceuticals limits the sale of Plan B to anyone under the age of 16. Drug stores will be responsible for checking IDs. As the only reason the FDA gave for denying OTC access in April was because Dr. Galson alone was unsure of the impact on women under the age of 16, this new condition should ensure approval.

However, that assumes that the acting FDA director is a man of logic.... being that there is evidence to the contrary, I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens this week.



[edit on 17-1-2005 by lmgnyc]

God made sex enjoyable due to it's need to propagate our species... as to that... of course we will have sex at very young ages... (most start around 15-18). So the act is not sinful, regardless of how christians feel, Jesus never said anything about not having sex... (the bible did, but it also said women should be subjugate to men, which has been proven to be a tainted chapter, due to the ancient hebrew paternal structure...) so for arguements sake... let us dispense with the bible as a "pro life evidenciary support tool... it is too tainted by lesser men to be reliable for the arguement.

Responsibility is not easy... mistakes happen... it is for that reason, that we should have the ability and choice to have abortions...
for those ignorant of the process...
A surgical abortion is a dangerous thing, and should only be done in situations that are dangerous for the mother anyway...
so ANY non-surgical process, that is essentially reproducing what happens naturally many times anyway, is a very good thing....

It has been awhile since i looked at the medical literature, so forgive me if i am wrong, but all the morning after pill does, is prevent the fertilized egg from nesting in the womb (puts up a no vacancy sign) .... this is what the body does most times of "egg fertilization" anyway... (non-catches)
There are some doctors (fertility specialists) that say that the human body has a natural ability to "affect nesting" of the egg. (which is why some fertile woman never get pregnant even while trying) ...

Originally posted by Amelia
Margie, we will NEVER win for pro-choice against the "right", we are young modern women and we have sex for fun....we use protection and contraceptive and YET, that is not enough for them, they want us to have sex once every 5 years to get pregnant and reproduce and put more people to make economy run...I wonder if THEY have sex for fun or for reproduction only and if not, what do THEY do...they never answer that any way

Amelia

Evidentially young modern women these days don't want to be honest about the realities of Christian people, or society in general.

This is by no means meant to be offensive, quite the opposite, so if it sounds like I am condemning anyone (including yourself), then I sincerely apologize.

There are quite a number of us Christians that are currently railing against the hate, bigotry, and general malaise of the religious right (which by the way is composed mainly of a minority within the Christian numbers). Unfortunately some of the unsavory elements are sometimes the most vocal.

I personally know that people will have sex because they do not prescribe to our ideas. That's fine, and there certainly should be free birth control along with good and honest education of PARENTS.

Do not take the rambling of some as the intent of us all, because the Pro-life movement was supposed to be about the love and embracing nature of people to want to allow all people to live.

Yet it has turned people as time went on (although I am pretty sure that some where turned already).

Love and honesty is the answer on both sides of this. Not condemnation and petty ideology battles.

The sooner they make the morning after pill over the counter the better. As far as putting an age restriction on it Do you guys even remember being teenagers? Your kids are smart, and they have female friends who are older than them... 'nuff said. The morning after pill is a life saving godsend for those accidental moments we all have in life.

Originally posted by lmgnyc
but there is no evidence that taking 2 doses of Levonorgestrel will result in "significant weight gain, depression, ovarian cyst enlargement, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disorders, increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and premature death by use of this drug." That is just plain wrong.

The World Health Organization semi-disagrees with you. (see previous
response). Levonorgestrel has had MANY studies done on it and
they all came back registering SIGNIFICANT problems with
Levonorgestrel. True, for most people taking 2 doses of levonorgestrel
won't harm in the long run, however, the study points out that many,
if not most, women who take the levonorgestrel go back time and time
again for more. They use it as a means of birth control instead of
as an emergency contraceptive.

This drug should in no way be 'over the counter'. If it is to be used
at all, it should be well monitored by a doctor who is familiar with
the patient using it. We don't need teenagers popping these things
like candy. These are VERY strong drugs and they do intense harm
to a body when used irresponsibly and/or frequently.

[edit on 1/18/2005 by FlyersFan]