Back Up Your Birth Control? What does that mean?
So what exactly is EC anyway?
Is this the same thing as the abortion pill?
EC is not the same as Mifeprex or RU-486, a drug that terminates early pregnancies. EC is designed to prevent ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg. It does not terminate a pregnancy. If you are already pregnant, EC will not work.
And this really works? Safely?
Research has shown that EC is both safe and effective, and generally produces only mild side effects such as headache and nausea. A full report on EC, including information about its safety and effectiveness, can be found here. Most health care professionals seem to be in agreement that EC is safe, and that EC poses fewer risks for both teens and adult women than unintended pregnancy. (And by preventing thousands of unplanned pregnancies each year, EC can help reduce risks to women's health, cut health care costs, and also reduce the need for abortion services.)
Don't I need a prescription for this?
"New York District Court Judge ruled yesterday that the FDA must reconsider its 2006 ruling that allowed emergency contraception (EC), also known as Plan B, to be sold without a prescription to women 18 and older. The ruling (see PDF) also specifically orders Barr Pharmaceuticals, which distributes Plan B, to make EC available over-the-counter to women as young as 17 within 30 days."
Basically the judge found that the FDA's decision-making process on EC approval was heavy on "political considerations, delays, and implausible justifications" and light on actual science and facts and logic. But with the FDA under new leadership thanks to the Obama administration, there's now hope that this will be reconsidered in a way that makes more sense. Of course, as important as this ruling is, it's just as important that teenagers are actually aware of what's going on, so spread the word.
Why don't I hear more about EC? This information really needs to be out there!
Because then everyone would be as evil and slutty as we are, and we wouldn't have an excuse to run this blog.
Seriously, information about EC should be more widely available and accessible. That's why campaigns like Back Up Your Birth Control are so important, and deserve your support. Get involved!
So how do I get EC if I need it?
That depends on how old you are and where you are.
- Women who are 18 and older can purchase EC over-the-counter at the pharmacy. You'll need to present a valid government ID. If you're 17, stay tuned to the outcome of the recent judge's ruling we mentioned above, because you may also be able to get EC over-the-counter soon.
- Women under the age of 18 living in certain states need a prescription for EC from their doctor or other health care provider. (See the point below to determine what the law is in the state that you live in.) Many doctors require an office visit before they will give you a prescription, but some will handle it for you over the phone.
- Women of all ages in the following states can purchase EC over-the-counter at some pharmacies thanks to pharmacy access legislation: AK, CA, HI, MA, ME, NH, NM, VT and WA.
- To find a provider near you, visit www.not-2-late.com. You can also make a confidential call to 1-888-NOT-2-LATE (1-866-EN-TRES-DIAS for Spanish) 24 hours a day.
4 comments:
I've used Plan B once, and only experienced mild side effects. A few of my friends have used it as well. Of course, it's still smart to use appropriate protection at all times. However, I support Plan B being available over the counter...it's definitely cheaper than an abortion.
Two things:
1. When discussing how to purchase it, you only mentioned women. Was that an artifact of the post's intended audience, or is there some odd reason men aren't allowed to buy it for their girlfriends?
2. You said that Plan B will prevent implantation of the fertilized egg. Doesn't that make it slightly misleading to advertise it as non-abortive, since the pro-life crowd claim that life begins as conception and that the zygote is a human being?
Anonymous:
1. I only mentioned women probably partly because of 'intended/likely audience', but also because I think I was assuming that since you need to show ID to purchase EC, it might need to be purchased by the person who was actually taking it. But I just double checked and that's not true - EC can be purchased by men or women, and men just need to go through the same process of showing ID.
2. As you probably know, just because the "pro-life crowd" makes a claim, that doesn't mean it's true or scientific or universally accepted. I understand the 'life begins with a fertilized egg' argument, but I don't agree with it and neither do many other people. Also, preventing implantation isn't the only way that Plan B can work - it may also prevent ovulation or fertilization, and I really can't see labeling those situations as "abortive".
And aside from this argument about what Plan B does and doesn't do, it's important to make sure that people know that Plan B and RU-486 (the "abortion pill") are two totally different things that shouldn't be confused but often are.
Every woman has right to dream of having a baby. Tubal reversal allows a woman the ability to conceive naturally without any harm. Although tubal ligation is considered a permanent method of birth control, but at some later stage you think that you have done something wrong and you should not have done tubal ligation. But don’t worry; in approximately 90% of cases the procedure can be reversed. and thanks for posting.
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