Plan B to be sold over the counter

By Umaymah Rashid
The Collegian

In January 2007, anyone who is over 18 will be able to purchase emergency contraceptives over the counter without a prescription.

Emergency contraceptives — or the “morning after pill,” as it is commonly called — is a drug that can be used up to 72 hours after unprotected sex that prevents unintended pregnancies by preventing either ovulation or fertilization.

In 2003, a committee of the Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly in favor of allowing emergency contraceptives to be sold without a prescription, but politics prevented the bill from going into effect. The FDA rejected an application that would have made Plan B available without a prescription in 2004.

Although California already has a law that allows women to access emergency contraception over the counter, opposition to the drug has made the pill unavailable nationwide until now.

The pill will cost between $38 and $50 and will also be available at Fresno State’s Student Health Center.

Many see the new availability of the pill as a huge step forward in the fight for women’s reproductive rights.

“Over-the-counter access to emergency contraception is a major victory for women’s health and the effort to prevent unintended pregnancy,” said Patsy Montgomery, a regional director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.

Fresno State senior Ivan Perez, a pre-nursing major, also agrees that people over the age of 18 should be allowed to get the pill without a prescription.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Perez said. “Sometimes things happen even when you are using protection, by 18 you should be able to handle your own responsibilities.”

Denise Soria, a junior civil engineering major, doesn’t think it’s a good idea to allow anyone to access the pill without a prescription.

“There are some people who are going to take advantage of it eventually, I think it should only be used if it is medically prescribed by a doctor,” Soria said.

The bill initially asked that people 16 and over be allowed to access the pill also.

“I wouldn’t agree with that,” Perez said. “Parents should have more control over their kids at that age and have more of a say-so.”

Other students agree with the idea that minors should not have access to the pill.

“If you’re an adult it’s your choice, as long as you’re not a minor,” senior Kong Vang said, a mass communication and journalism major. “When they’re still a minor, they’re not at an age where they should be making that choice on their own.”

Montgomery totally disagrees with the FDA’s decision to not allow minors access to the drug.

“The restriction on teen access is scientifically baseless and should be removed,” Montgomery said. “Anything that makes it harder for teenagers to avoid unintended pregnancy is bad medicine and bad public policy.”

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