That’s what she said

KAITLIN MAYHEW

The “morning after” will be a little less stressful from now on. Or at least for a select group of 17-year-old girls it will be.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to loosen restrictions on Plan B, or the “morning after pill.” In accordance with the new restrictions, 17-year-old girls will now be able to obtain Plan B without a prescription.

The policy, sparked by a ruling by a US district judge in New York that said the Bush administration was driven for political reasons, not scientific ones to restrict access to the pill to those 18 or older.
Not that there is any big surprise there. And the old Bush policy supporters are firing up again with their pitchforks, and masticated fetus photos, waging protest against minors being fed “abortion pills.”

Although it has been stated over and over again by scientists and doctors alike that Plan B contraceptive is not an abortion pill. In fact it says on the website, and in the information brochure that it is completely ineffective if a pregnancy has already occurred.

Many pro-lifers still maintain that the morning after pill causes an abortion since it prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.

But where does the extent of this murder stop?

First a fetus is supposedly a human life, and now many are claiming the same about fertilized eggs. Zygotes, or fertilized eggs in biological terms, are single-celled organisms. So in essence, these people calling Plan B an abortion are saying that preventing this single cell from attaching to the uterus is murder.

However, with this ridiculousness aside, the accessibility of Plan B could actually lead to fewer abortions being necessary. If taken within 72 hours after intercourse, the morning after pill reduces the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent.

And referring to the “national tragedy” that is underage abortion and underage pregnancy, Plan B could be a saving grace. It makes no sense for politicians to prevent minors from obtaining emergency contraception and then be embarrassed about the rates of teen pregnancies.

The abstinence argument is not relevant in this argument either. Of course abstinence for minors is a valid option, and they know it. But the fact is a lot of minors are having sex, whether or not the government chooses to acknowledge it.

Who needs Plan B more than the scared 17-year-old that just made her first big mistake?
Being young is all about making mistakes, bad outfits, car crashes, and freshman yearbook photos, why is sex treated so differently?