Thank god for over-the-counter Plan B. As of April, a court ruling allows for females of all ages to have access to emergency contraception without a prescription. This is excellent news as it means that minors finally have access to preventing unintended pregnancy in the event of unprotected sex.
As for the conservatives who fear the doors this move will open, there is no reason to think of this as an enabling step. Minors are having sex, whether or not they have access to contraception. At least now they don’t also have to figure out a way to procure an abortion.
Opposition to this kind of action probably stems mostly from parents of young girls, which is understandable. However, this poses a significant problem for young girls, who, with or without any sort of plan for birth control, continue to be sexually active.
Parents tend to feel like if the government requires their daughters to have permission via prescription in order to acquire emergency contraception, then the government simultaneously creates a roadblock for the daughters’ confidentiality. In other words, parents would inevitably be informed at some point that their daughter is, to some extent, concerned about pregnancy.
However, this resulted in young girls who engaged in an unprotected sexual engagement, whether it was involuntary or a simple lapse in judgment, having no way to fight off unwanted, permanent consequences.
The downward spiral that follows leads to an unwanted pregnancy, which is not something that a 16-year-old girl can handle responsibly.
Fear sets in and abortions are sought, which can lead to long-term guilt, depression or even permanent medical damage.
All in all, the fact that young girls can walk into Rite Aid or CVS and purchase Plan B One Step to prevent pregnancy altogether means that there is less reason for teen pregnancy to occur.
The issue is not just a “women’s right issue.” The issue is of public health in general.
Too many children are born to unfit mothers who got pregnant accidentally and then had no access to abortion as minors. It’s cruel to raise a child in the kind of atmosphere that pregnancies like this provide.
In closing, conservatives will argue that Plan B One Step is basically “an abortion pill.”
There is not one ounce of validity in this ugly name. It simply makes young women feel guilty for using it and uncomfortable when buying it. It is a cruelty that only causes more pain to the young women in need.
Paige Pelonis is a sophomore journalism and international studies double major and an assistant opinions editor for the Daily 49er.