Giving 15 Year Old Girls Plan B

When one of my children transitions to a new school, kindergarten to 1st grade, elementary school to junior high, or junior high to high school we have to fill out and sign forms giving the school nurse permission to administer allergy, or asthma medication. In addition to that we have to go to their pediatrician and have him sign off on the correct dosage. I don't mind, and I view this protocol as essential precautionary measures designed to ensure the health and well being of my children. In the event that one of them actually becomes sick, me or my wife is always notified. This is the way it has always been, & that is the way it should be. According to one school nurse these rules have been implemented in compliance with FDA regulations. Given the fact that the government is willing to go to such great lengths to make sure that each and every child get the correct dose of Robitussen, I was surprised this week find to find out that this past Tuesday The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step for sale without a prescription to girls as young as 15 and over.

Designed to reduce the risk of pregnancy after unprotected sex, Plan B One-Step, made by Teva Women’s Health of North Wales, Pa., is most effective if taken right after or within three days after unprotected sexual intercourse, according to the FDA. The move takes the product out from behind the counter where it has been and lowers the minimum age for purchasers by two years, from 17 to 15.

The product’s label will read "not for sale to those under 15 years of age.” It also will say that proof of age is required and that it is “not for sale where age cannot be verified."

Teva also will place a security tag on product cartons to prevent theft. The product, known as a "morning-after pill," will be available in stores with onsite pharmacies in the family planning and female health sections. It will be available for sale whether the pharmacy counter is open or not.

“Research has shown that access to emergency contraceptive products has the potential to further decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies in the United States,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, a physician. “The data reviewed by the agency demonstrated that women 15 years of age and older were able to understand how Plan B One-Step works, how to use it properly, and that it does not prevent the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease.”

Potential is not absolute. I could potentially be The Wizard of Oz. But that doesn't mean that I actually am or will be.

15 year old's are not allowed to drink legally, in list in the armed forces, or get a drivers license in some states. Simply because, although they understand the ramifications of excessive alcohol consumption, war, and driving safely, they are just not mature enough to make most of their own decisions. If they are not old enough to make other adult decisions what makes them old enough to make the decision to purchase what basically amounts to an over the counter abortion in a box. For the government to assume that children are equipped to make adult decisions infringes on the rights of parents.

Allegedly company data also showed that Plan B One-Step could be used properly by women ages 15 and older without input from a health care provider.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards called the action "an important step forward" in making the product more widely available.

"This decision will eliminate some of the biggest barriers and hurdles that women face in getting emergency contraception when they need it, which means many more women will be able to prevent unintended pregnancy," Richards said.

In my opinion calling 15 year old girls women sets a dangerous president.

One of three emergency contraceptives on the market, Plan B One-Step is a single-dose version of the more-familiar, two-dose Plan B. Both contain the active ingredient levonorgestrel.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in New York ordered the FDA to allow over-the-counter access to Plan B for women of all ages and/or allow the sale of Plan B One-Step without age or sale restrictions. But Teva’s request to market Plan B One-Step to women ages 15 and older was already pending with the FDA before the court ruling.


However, in a bold move Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA decision
stating that there are too many questions about the safety of Plan B for girls who can bear children as young as 10 or 11 years old.
President Obama who is the father of both a teenage, and a pre teen daughter had this to say,
"I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine,"
He said Sebelius decided 10 and 11-year-olds should not be able to buy the drug "alongside bubble gum or batteries" because it could have an adverse effect if not used properly. He said "most parents" probably feel the same way. I know I do. Thank God the President is on the right side of this issue. The FDA's decision was probably based on promoting this product, and if we look hard enough I'm sure we'll find some kind of monetary co-conspiracy between the FDA, Planned Parenthood, and Teva, the manufacturer of the "Plan B" pill. One in which little girls would pay the price while they reaped the reward.

PR