“Morning After” Pill Available to 17 Year-Olds

On April 22, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a statement stating that it has “notified the manufacturer of Plan B that it may, upon submission and approval of an appropriate application, market Plan B without a prescription to women 17 years of age and older,” following a March 23 federal court order. Plan B is already available to women 18 and over.

Plan B is manufactured by Duramed Research, a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceuticals. It is the emergency contraceptive known as the “morning after” pill and works by preventing ovulation or fertilization, and should not be confused with the abortion pill, RU 486. Two doses, taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex reduces the chances of pregnancy by 89 percent.

Much like regular birth control pills, Plan B stops the release of an egg from the ovary and may prevent fertilization. If fertilization does take place, Plan B may prevent implantation. It will not work if a fertilized egg has already implanted.

Women will have to ask for Plan B at the drug store and show identification showing date of birth, at a cost of $35 – $60.

Conservatives argue it is a slap in the face to parental rights, while many groups say it represents sound science and is the right thing to do. In the United States, at least, contraceptive rights and responsibilities are swirling around in a giant simmering pot of moral values, ethics, science, and medicine.

Some critics argue that Plan B is subject to abuse and will be used as a regular method of birth control. The fact is, just about every over the counter drug is subject to abuse by persons of any age.

As for encouraging sexual relations between minors, the “morning after” pill is hardly the culprit. It is certainly a safer and more palatable alternative than abortion, although whether or not the availability of Plan B to 17 year-olds will reduce the rate of abortion among teens remains to be seen. It’s fairly obvious that abstinence programs are not working.

Read more: health policy

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Aurora H.

1:36PM PDT on May 6, 2009

AMEN.

ps: sounds like at least one person above has realized the financial morality of contraception!!!!!!

send a green star

Linda R.

12:10PM PDT on May 6, 2009

We are only responsible for our own actions and behaviors. It is not for us to judge others. To do the right thing is part of growing up and a gift which most people take for granted.

Tracy S.

7:23AM PDT on May 6, 2009

It's about time. If any of these bible-thumpers out there think their kids aren't sexual beings, they're in denial or ignorant. They're also hypocrites.
Look how well Bristol Palin's "abstinence only" policy worked. Now she's a single mom. Good news for her is that so far, she has parents with a lot of money.
The morning after pill sure beats the alternatives, especially in a society where single parenting is very difficult.

Felicia T.

4:57AM PDT on Apr 28, 2009

The Lack of this Morning After Pill has Not Eased the teenage pregnancy epidemic, so I & many I Know are all for attempting to decrease the number of unwanted, unaffordable pregnancies, since We're Stuck Paying for them.

We are Sick of paying out of our Tax $$ for medically treating teenagers & their unwanted babies; for a failing & overcrowded foster care system; for countless yet useless social workers who only demand a Gov. Pay check; while tax payers are forced to pay for these kids for 18 years, who statistically show that they will continue the cycle of Irresponsible Horniness.

Since parents are too busy, have too many issues, or can't be bothered to teach their teenagers proper morals; self respect; or instill safe sex, then let These Parents pay for the consequences, not the Tax payer.
How fortunate for useless parents & horny teenagers, this is not the case & They'r covered.

So, Until tax payers Stop Paying for unwanted, unaffordable pregnancy (which'll be never), tax payers must have the right to offer the Morning After Pill to Any & Every HornyTeenager.

As for the Price of This Pill, it is an Insignificant Price to Pay in comparison to cost of a birth & 18 years of raising this "Unplanned" preganancy.

Lowering the $$ only Condones Irresponsible, Unprotected, Horny Behvior.

If God an issue, Then God & His Judgement should have thought of Before "the ACT".

The way some of you people think is actually scary.

Carol H.

2:59PM PDT on Apr 25, 2009

You know girls at that age shouldn't even be thinking about SEX PERIOD and that is a fact. Now this will allow them to want it even more because they don't even have to think about sex as something to be done when they are married and not until then.
I think that is a very large mistake but I am old fashioned and that is a fact.
In my days the boy always asked are you virgin and if you said NO they would go down the road.
In those days the boys that wanted to marry you wanted them to be the first one now they want to know if you know how to do it and that is really sad.

Elizabeth I.

11:54AM PDT on Apr 25, 2009

I think that if a 17-year-old girl decides to have unprotected sex without thinking--for example if she is drunk one night, that her decision the next day to be responsible only shows maturity.
(Now, if there was only a procedure or pill that a teenage boy could undergo or take so that he can ensure that his girlfriend doesn't get pregnant after talking her into unprotected sex!)

ashley b.

8:28PM PDT on Apr 24, 2009

I think that allowing 17 year old's the chance to get this pill is irresponsible. Personally I don't believe that it is ok to allow the pill period, unless the circumstances are rape or other unfortunate circumstances. I think that the government is telling young girls that it is ok to go out and have unprotected sex, and if they happen to end up pregnant, here take this pill and everything will be ok. This whole thing is just ridiculous. Again this is just my opinion.

Pamela H.

5:25PM PDT on Apr 24, 2009

Firstly the price is a rip-off. Secondly, would these ultra-conservatives prefer their daughters became single mothers at seventeen? Humans are sexual beings, I'm sick of religion seeping in and attempting to control people. Abstenence is simply not normal or feasable, and never has been. I had a child at seventeen because where I lived abortion was illegal at the time. No one knows what hell I went through at sixteen and seventeen, unless you lived it too.

Graham S.

1:09PM PDT on Apr 24, 2009

Yes, give them the pill! The world population is about 6.5 BILLION people!! You'd think people would show some responsibility with their breeding habits! I am gay and will never reproduce, maybe being gay is mother nature's way of trying to fix an enormous problem. I'm sick of people saying, "oh, I think we'll stop at 5... we always wanted a big family" JEEEEZZ!! It just kills me that more isn't being done to slooooooowwww the population growth. It;'s harder to go to the shelter to adopt a dog than it is to have a baby, stupid!!

Past Member .

10:12AM PDT on Apr 24, 2009

This World is going to HELL in a BUCKET baby people are getting to soft everything is OK its NOT