The Morning After Pill

I really think matters like these are also a very cultural thing because from the shows and things I've watched, in the UK, sex is not as taboo as it is here in the States. Other places may be more liberal about contraceptives than others but in my opinion, I like that there's an age limit on the morning after pill. After all, it is a drug and for a girl to take it while she's still developing, well, things do happen.

And besides that, the cheapest morning after pill I've bought cost $40.... I'd rather buy $40 worth of condoms every once in a while or pay for $50 birth control once a month before I buy $40 EVERY time I have sex because, let's face it, once you pop, the fun don't stop.

Sabine St. James:

I really think matters like these are also a very cultural thing because from the shows and things I've watched, in the UK, sex is not as taboo as it is here in the States. Other places may be more liberal about contraceptives than others but in my opinion, I like that there's an age limit on the morning after pill. After all, it is a drug and for a girl to take it while she's still developing, well, things do happen.

And besides that, the cheapest morning after pill I've bought cost $40.... I'd rather buy $40 worth of condoms every once in a while or pay for $50 birth control once a month before I buy $40 EVERY time I have sex because, let's face it, once you pop, the fun don't stop.

Things that would be worse than being pregnant and having a child while under this age limit?

The most common side-effects are vomiting and nausea. Other possible side-effects are short term headaches, dizziness, breast tenderness, and an irregular period. All of these seem to pale in comparison to being under-age and pregnant and eventually having a child, in my opinion.

@ Audrey T
Exactly. And my mom says there's never been a case of an overdose from it, regardless of age.

@ Sabine St. James
Most people would rather spend 40 dollars on preventive birth control. But MAP is for emergencies, accidents, the condom breaking, etc. It's nice to know that when when an accident happens, there's a back up plan, instead of the government saying you're not allowed to fix your mistake because ... you're too young and should know better?

It has no greater affect on younger girls than it does older women. Therefore, they should have access to it. I don't think parents should get to make reproductive decisions on behalf of their children.

I don't think it's accurate to say EC affects all women the same. There aren't many studies of the effects of repeated use, and it's less effective for women who are overweight. There is multiple kinds of ECP too, with different hormonal make ups, and different women may get the best results with a different pill. Certain medicines can make EC ineffective and the average person probably wouldn't have the medical knowledge to know which ones. These are the reasons why, ideally, I think women should consult with a gynecologist or doctor before getting EC, but we don't live in an ideal world, and some teenagers would never even have access to a gynecologist to ask in the first place.

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This article is a really good compilation of studies though that shows concerns about increased STD rates/increased unsafe sex rates/sterility are not caused by emergency contraception though. It's just myths antagonists create to demonize the product.

@ Audrey T
True.... That is a very good point too.

@ dru will wait.
I really just think it's a question of why kids are having sex anyway? Can they really grasp the consequences of their actions IF a mistake happens or if the condom breaks? Or what if they can't scrounge up enough money on their own to buy Plan B in time for it to be effective?
You may not want parents to have a say in their reproductive actions but if they end up pregnant or with an std of some sort, who do they go running to for help? Mommy and Daddy... (or guardian, or whomever is hopefully taking care of them) So the adults who have to help their children through this ridiculously tough time have no say in their sex lives but have to help them deal with the consequences of the sex that they probably didn't approve of anyway...?

@ Sabine St. James
Well...yeah. Welcome to parenthood. From the word go it consists of following your child around and trying to maintain some sort of equilibrium.

Sabine St. James:

@ dru will wait.
I really just think it's a question of why kids are having sex anyway? Can they really grasp the consequences of their actions IF a mistake happens or if the condom breaks? Or what if they can't scrounge up enough money on their own to buy Plan B in time for it to be effective?
You may not want parents to have a say in their reproductive actions but if they end up pregnant or with an std of some sort, who do they go running to for help? Mommy and Daddy... (or guardian, or whomever is hopefully taking care of them) So the adults who have to help their children through this ridiculously tough time have no say in their sex lives but have to help them deal with the consequences of the sex that they probably didn't approve of anyway...?

Parents can still have involvement in reproductive actions. They can encourage their kids not to have sex/to have safe sex, punish them for irresponsibility, provide accurate information about sex, etc.

But when it comes to pregnancy, that's a choice for the mother and only the mother, regardless of her age. A parent should not get to decide if their child gets emergency contraception or not; a parent cannot force their child to risk becoming pregnant, just like a parent cannot force a child to get an abortion.

@ Sabine St. James
Parents don't have to help their child if they get pregnant. No one else gets a say in a woman's vagina and reproductive choice, no matter what their relationship to the individual is.

And, yes, young kids shouldn't be having sex ... but if they are having sex, we shouldn't punish them with pregnancy. It's fucked up.

Emergency contraception (Plan B) is a useful thing for unexpected occurrences involving sex (whether it be birth control failing, no birth control, rape, or otherwise). I do know though, according to my doctor and I'm sure doctors around the globe, it is not to be used frequently. It can mess with a menstrual cycle (making it earlier or later), cause spotting, lower abdominal pain, and if taken enough times, make a woman less fertile. It caused my friend to have her period every two weeks for a few months as well.

My friend has taken Plan B six times in her life (in the span of about six months) because her boyfriend would, during sex, take the condom off without her noticing. She went to her doctor a few months after her last Plan B occurrence because of severe abdominal pain, and after explaining to her doctor the Plan B and frequency, her doctor said there is a large chance she would not be fertile anymore. According to the physician, fertility decreases every time Plan B is taken.

For this reason, Plan B should not be taken as regular birth control. Used as an emergency contraceptive, however, it works well and should be offered to all people who have unprotected sex or failed birth control.

I had to take it once as a precaution because I missed a day of pills and the condom broke. I had to go to the local chemist and pay €45 because I was 17 and too scared to tell my parents. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that the option is so readily available without a prescription but if I didn't have the cash, I couldn't have gotten the morning after pill. So I dread to think what the outcome could have been.

@ Name Of Misery.
This might be late, but pulling the condom off like that is considered abuse (fertility abuse) and she could report him to the police. Men like that make me sick.

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Plan B was legalized for girls of all ages in the U.S.

Also, since NYC started offering Plan B in schools, pregnancy rates for teens have declined.

I think it's sad that people are still misinformed about what it does. I was in Organic Chemistry today and my teacher was talking about synthetic hormones, and she told us about the morning-after pill... which terminates a pregnancy.

She's a smart person; I had expected better of her.

Why do you think people choose to stay out of the loop when it comes to sex education? Is it because it's taboo?

@ Name Of Misery.
Probably. If you look into it and question things, then you're a dirty little whore who just wants to justify her own sexual perversions. At least, that's how it was when I was growing up. You couldn't talk about sex or ask about it because everyone just assumed you were having it. Your peers thought you were a whore and adults didn't trust you.

It can be a hard cycle to break.