Plan B

Plan B or the emergency contraception pill was approved by the FDA in 2006 and sales since then have skyrocketed. Plan B consists of one or two pills that when taken within five days after sex can help prevent pregnancy. I believe it is important for Plan B to be easily available to the public, however I can see how many would oppose the use of Plan B.

The common misconception is that Plan B is the Abortion Pill when it in fact only prevents pregnancy and will not work if you are already pregnant. Many pharmacists and Roman Catholic Hospitals oppose prescribing Plan B due to moral objections that it is still like an abortion. When Plan B first came out teenagers could only obtain it with a prescription but now a sixteen year old can walk into a pharmacy and get Plan B. The controversy around Plan B is that since it is taken after sex and not as a preventative measure it is thought of as an abortion. Many religions do not support the use of Plan B and greatly oppose all of the new laws in the recent years that have made it more of a readily available to teens. However I think it is very important for Plan B to be available.

Although it is important for Plan B to be available to the public, I can see why religious group oppose the use of it. When one obtains the birth control pill they are being responsible and taking a preventative measure of reducing the risk of getting pregnant. However, with the invention of Plan B many people are making the mistake of having unprotected sex and dealing with birth control the next morning. Also many teenagers are now using Plan B as their main form of contraception because it is easier to obtain than regular birth control pills. This is a very irresponsible and unhealthy habit to get into because Plan B is less effective than regular birth control pills and it is taking a very high dose of hormones.