Now....... most of you might think that I would be jumping up and down for joy over this. After all I AM very prochoice. But instead I am worried. We are not talking about bendryal people......... this stuff has more complications then weed or alchol. AND the fact is ............ the fact is I see to much of a high risk for abuse. I think that Plan B should be avilable..... don't get me wrong about that. Just not at the local Walgreens next to the snuffle meds and the preg. test. Why? Because I can see parents who give their kids plan B without the kid ever knowing...... I can see boyfriends and husbands doing it too. I can see this drug being taken in huge amounts by kids that think if one is good 5 will do better. And I am worried about that.
In the interests of clarity, it should be noted that Achromic is fervently pro-choice, although she is more open-minded than many pro-choicers....
I agree with most of her concerns. Even if Plan B is not an abortifacient (and there are a few studies to suggest that it might not be), OTC status is still a really bad idea for this drug. Really really bad. Regular birth-control pills require a prescription and a doctor's supervision. Plan B is essentially a hyper-dose of the same hormones. It seems reasonable that it should follow the same standards. Pro-choice or pro-life, there are some very good reasons to keep Plan B under control.
I also admire the moral clarity near the end of her post:
And I can't help but think this is the wrong way for us to go. While I belive the option to end a preg. should always be avilable I also believe that we have to stop thinking that becoming preg. is such a horrible awful thing. That this teaching our kids that it is something to fear, something to dread inside, something that will keep you from ever reaching your dreams or doing the things you want to do........ is just wrong.
Ironically, I heard Al Mohler make the same point on a recent episode of his radio show. Plan B is just another part of the contraception mindset which sees pregnancy as a problem, an unfortunate complication that might arise during our pursuit of sexual gratification. Instead, pregnancy is a gift from God and an integral part of our sexuality. Our attempts to separate sex & pregnancy are harmful in subtle, long-term ways that we are only beginning to comprehend....
(cross-posted to Naaman the Ex-Leper)
