A federal judge ruled that
the age restriction on Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, was
“arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable.” The current policy requires a woman to request
the pill from a pharmacist, and the woman must show ID proving that she is at
least seventeen years old. Women’s
rights groups as well as women’s health specialists have been battling for more
than ten years to allow easier access to the Plan B. Health officials as well as scientists have
all agreed that the pill should be available “fully over the counter” and that
it is “safe for women of all ages to use.”
Opponents believe that by allowing easier access, sexual predators may
be more apt to exploit or coerce young girls and force them to take Plan B.
Judge Korman believes that the government violated the
standards that are set in place for other drugs, such as aspirin, and have
appropriately applied those standards to the Plan B pill. I agree that women should have unrestricted
access to Plan B. No woman I know enjoys
going to the pharmacist counter, oftentimes speaking with a pharmacist who
shoots judgemental looks. Or the line of
customers behind you who now know, too.
As for the adverse effects of the pill, no woman I know actively seeks
this out as a regular solution to her reproductive needs. I hope that allowing easier access to Plan B
will result in fewer teenage pregnancies.
Let’s stop using a woman’s uterus as political pull and get back to some
addressing some real issues.
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