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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thoughts on the Plan B controversy?
All I can say is, WOW. I have not been this outraged by a political move in a long time! I actually didn't even realize the HHS could overrule the FDA.
Re: Thoughts on the Plan B controversy?
They mention there's not enough evidence to support the safety of the Plan B pill used by girls as young as 11. I get what they're saying... but I would hope they don't have a plethora of sexually active 11 year olds to test it on, kwim?
fwiw, I know someone who got pregnant at 11 y/o.
I guess what upsets me is we have someone in a political position, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, overruling the FDA - an agency of doctors and scientists who are charged with determining the safety of drugs. And the FDA is known for being pretty cautions, so if they're ok with it being available OTC, I'm ok with it.
Asprin is known to be harmful to children, and kills hundreds of people every year, but there's no age limit on purchasing that.
This is interesting from an administrative law perspective. The HHS website says: "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government?s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves." When you go to the FDA website, it says it is and agency under the HHS. So from a hierarchy perspective, it makes sense that the HHS could trump.
Oh, I totally agree she has the legal authority to do so. What I mean is the secretary of HHS is a cabinet level position, appointed by the pres, to a primarily political position - it's not like she's the chief scientist or something. And at least according to the Times, no HHS secretary has every publicly overruled the FDA before.
If it were something other than a birth control pill in an election year, I'd probably feel differently. But I definitely think this is a politically motivated decision that ignores the potential good that might come of preventing unwanted pregnancy in vulnerable teenage girls.
Agreed.
Unfortunately I'm not shocked by this at all. It's disheartening, IMO, but not shocking in today's society. Then again, I don't really believe in "blended families" but that's a whole other topic/debate and is becoming the norm anyway.
My thoughts exactly Lindsay. I was surprised by that figure as well.
Hmm, this is very interesting. I'm torn.
On one hand, I personally believe that anyone should have the right and ability to terminate an unwanted pregnancy (for a variety of reasons that aren't relevant to this particular discussion).
However on the other hand, the thought of a 12yo being able to buy Plan B OTC without any adult intervention disturbs me, because clearly (again, IMO) there is something going on in her life that perhaps needs some attention/help/counseling. I fear that giving someone so young the ability to take Plan B without anyone knowing could lead to a lot of issues that might otherwise be addressed if they had to go through a parent or doctor to get it. In theory, someone who is 17yo + should be able responsible enough to understand all the factors involved (this is a huge generalization, I know, but it's just based on the fact that at 18 they are an adult).
Well Plan B isn't the "abortion pill," it's just a large dose of birth control that prevents you from ovulating. It has no effect if you're already pregnant.
The alternative is that those 12 years old who are having sex end up becoming MOTHERS. Which I think is hugely more problematic than preventing the pregnancy without adult intervention (IMO).
And it's not that a 12 year old can't get the pill, they just need to go through a doctor's office to get a script. So in theory (and correct me if you know differently), that 12 year old could go through planned parenthood, get a script, refuse counseling services, and get the Plan B pill, if they're savvy enough. What I worry about is the girls under 17 who aren't that savvy - who don't know how to find a free clinic, don't have health insurance, transportation, money, etc. And you're assuming most girls have an adult in their lives who would help them in this situation. What about girls who are homeless, in foster care, or living in a household where there's severe abuse? Maybe it's their parent who is raping them. Those are the girls most hurt by this, and IMO, the girls who would struggle the most with an unwanted pregnancy.
Absolutely. But at least there is an opportunity for intervention. In the other situations you mentioned (being raped by their own family, being homeless, etc), it just furthers my point that those are the situations in particular where they could benefit from there being an intermediary between them and the Plan B pill, that might be able to help them.
Also, I understand that it's not an abortion pill, I simply worded my sentence poorly. I was just trying to say that I generally think people should have control over what happens with their body.
I totally agree with where you're coming from on this - those girls absolutely need help. But just don't think making birth control harder to obtain is the way to get them that help.
I think your average sexually-active 12-year-old (or even 13-15 year olds) faced with the prospect of locating a free clinic, going to a dr., getting a script, going to the pharmacy to buy the pill, and then taking it, all within 72 hours of the unprotected sex, simply won't do it. They'll just end up 12-year-old moms. They might get the pill if all they had to do was walk into a drug store and buy it.
What scares me with making it so accessible is you know girls will start using Plan B as their only birth control method and not only as emergency back-up. Why get a prescription for birth contorl if you can just go to the pharmacy and get something from the shelf? Obviously that's not the intent of it nor is that safe, but teens do dumb things
It costs $40-$50 per pill, whereas you can easily get BCP's for free from planned parenthood or your local health department. And from what I've heard, the Plan B pill causes severe cramping, nausea, diarrhea, and really messes up your menstrual cycle. So I'd guess after trying it once, most wouldn't consider it the best method of birth control out there.
Yikes! I'm happy with my $8/month BCP pack thank you very much...
I understand their reasoning, but not sure if I completely agree with it. I guess it makes me sad to think that some young girls don't have an adult figure to confide in...