morning after pill
 

I am not sure if there is a thread on this already so if there is please link here.

I heard on the news tonight that this may become over the counter-I am just curious about what people think?

Do you think it will lead to more promiscuity?

The women from The View today were debating about this today... Elizabeth seems to think it will increase promiscuity.

My opinion is really mixed, despite the fact that the right to choose is something I strongly believe in.

On one hand, I think it will be great for women in small towns and in places where a 24-hour pharmacy isn't available. I've had women tell me about how they tried to get them, but weren't able to for whatever reason--from nurses being moralistic to hospitals simply not having it.

On the other, I know that women can abuse them. I have a friend who doesn't worry about having unprotected casual sex :mad: because she can always get the morning-after pill, but she's sick as a dog after each time. I imagine that having it over-the-counter will make people like her be even less careful, but they're in the minority. My only health concern is that we simply don't know what those high-intensity doses do to our reproductive systems on the long-term.

i am pro-choice and I am all for having women have access to the pill - but i think it should stay under the supervision of a doctor. I think it gives people an easy way out having it over the counter. They should have to go see a doctor before recieving it - and I think every hospital should be required to carry it as long as it is legal in the country. I don't care if the hospital is religious and what not - their main concern should not be morality but treating the patient.

They now want a law against it....

Holly's Law

Its a tough call and I'm definitely torn on this one, there are several pros and cons. As previously mentioned, it will be nice for women in small towns. My undergraduate years were spent in middle of nowhere western PA and I know during the 4 yrs I was there I know of several incidents where girls could not get down to the town's family planning because of money issues, family issues, weather conditions (apparently family planning is the first to close when a snowstorm hits), etc and if you even tried to get the college's health center to help you, they treated you like you were a common hooker. But on the flip side, like Munchkin03 I can see women misusing it. As time-consuming and inconvientent it is to go to the doctor, family planning, etc to get the morning after pill at least you know that they run tests and make sure that you are ok. I can definitely see a rise in STDs if this got passed.

Holly's Law is against RU-486/mifepristone, known as the "abortion pill." It contains various chemicals that force your body to expel the fetus over a 24-36 hour period. It will probably never be over-the-counter because it requires a sonogram and pelvic afterwards to ensure that the fetus was properly expelled, and can be done only up to a month and a half after conception. The FDA approved it for use in 2000, and it has to be taken under doctor supervision.

The "morning-after pill," is simply Levonorgestrol--the same active progesterone in the Norplant, as well as BC pills such as Alesse/Aviane/Levlite and others--in very high doses. Basically, it's one big BC that, if taken less than 72 hours after unprotected sex, will prevent any fertilized egg from implanting on the uterine wall. It is ineffective if taken after implantation takes place.

A LOT of people mix these two up, and they are very, very different.

I think its really sad if women abuse it, but I think its also kind of ridiculous that she should have to see a doctor. I believe it should be available for people, and if they choose to abuse it, that's their issue.

I understand that they are different - and do know that....however the issue of the other pill still applies because if you read about the girl, she got it at planned parenthood and never received (as you said) the proper sonogram and pelvic exam afterwards. So somewhere along the line, either she failed to go it, or planned parenthood failed to track her. Either way, you can get that pill there and the morning after pill is not very hard to get their easy (with a very short consultation and not even an examination).

You say its easy, but what do u do if you can't get into see someone. Or what if you're too embarassed? (obviously shouldn't be having sex if this is the issue but anyhow...) What harm does it do by making it so its easier to access. It saves money for the woman too, because she's not going to have to pay for a consultation. I really see no problem in having it easily available...because what harm does it do? So what if some women abuse it. It's their perogative. It's none of our business. Sometimes I think there are way too many regulations!

If women have abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, health of the mother, ext., and not view it as negative, what will stop them from using this pill simply for the purpose of convenience? Abortion on demand, out of convince, in the privacy of your own home. This sounds like the perfect option for the pro-abortion crowd.

Amen sister!

I totally agree. Unfortunately I know someone who has had two abortions, both for the simple reason that "she wasn't ready." :rolleyes: IMHO, this is just as good as using abortion as a form of birth control. She's a really nice person, so I'm sure there are plenty of other people out there who have made the same decisions that she has. And those people undoubtedly will abuse the morning after pill, should it become so readily available.

I think I see everybody's point. My opinion is to let it be over the counter (I am sure this is a big surprise to everyone:)) b/c those that are going to have sex are going to have sex whether it is available or not. Even though it might be over the counter that doesn't mean I now feel I can go out and have unprotected sex left and right-I still have my morals. I think it will be over the counter it will be just a matter of time.

Amy,

I also see your point, but if every drug were not allowed to be over the counter b/c of someone's death then the shelves would be almost bare. Even something as common and benign as aspirin have side effects that can cause death (people bleeding out from ulcers or dying of peritonitis due to perforated gut or anaphylactic reactions). There never will be an absolute 100% safe drug b/c drugs are foreign to the body and reactions can happen at anytime to anyone of us-that is the risk we take, but I am sure going to take 2 aspirins if I have a headache.

i'm not quite understanding how you can group the two together. one is taking a higher dosage of birth control when you think there is a chance of getting pregnant up to 72 hours after having sex. with the other, you know you are pregnant and are getting an abortion. with holly's law, the girl didn't go back for a checkup, like should have been done.. i don't know who's fault that is and am not going to place blame.

i haven't decided how i feel about the morning after pill being otc. part of me thinks it is a good idea, part of me doesn't. i think that all woman should have access to it. although i don't condone it being used as your main form of bc. but you know what, accidents happen, condom breaks, condoms aren't used properly, etc. and when that happens, i am all for the woman to have a backup method at birth control. and unfortunately with it not being otc, as a few have stated already, people are not always given the opportunity to get it or even told about it in some circumstances.

I don't understand this either, and like Aggie AXO said, if all of the medications whose use has resulted in someone's death--we wouldn't even have orange-flavored kiddie asprin on the shelves. For a story like Holly's, you have a thousand stories of women who, were able to take care of a private manner without an invasive procedure quickly.

Hootie, if you know the difference between the two, why did you make a link to the Holly's Law thread saying, "Now they want a law against it," when RU-486/mifepristone wasn't even being discussed? That would imply to the reader--much like I did--that you were confusing the two.

Since there is a separate thread relating to the confusion and propaganda surrounding RU-486, let's keep this one related to the morning-after pill.

i know i was confused about the differences between the morning after pill and RU-486/mifepristone - i thought they were the same thing - so Munchkin, thank you very much for enlightening me!!

On that note - I think the morning after pill should be available over the counter for all of the reasons people have mentioned already. It will only work up to 72 hours after unprotected sex - most girls that are extremely promiscious wouldn't worry about being pregnant until they showed signs of it - which is way longer than 72 hours - and then they would just go get an abortion. Unprotected sex is a way of life. But accidents happen, bad decisions are made, and having this pill available for people is necessary.

I think in some instances that it may increase promiscuity among females who view it as just another form of birth control. However, if the price for the morning-after pills are the same over the counter as they are right now (around $30), then the expense alone may keep usage down. I just can't see someone forking over $30 on a regular basis for it -- most people don't have that kind of cash to throw around constantly. It adds up after awhile.

It's a tough call to make. I'm pro-choice (btw, I don't know anyone who is pro-abortion), and part of me says that this could be very helpful for women who find themselves in a difficult situation. However, I would hate to see it abused by someone who is just too lazy to use regular forms of birth control. But I guess those same people can abuse it now even though it's not over the counter. Like I said, tough call.

Ditto this.

Many gynecologists estimate that making the morning-after pill over the counter will cut the number of abortions in this country in HALF.

That alone is enough reason for me to endorse it.

Loose women everywhere rejoice
 

I definitely think this will lead to more promiscuity...and for some women this pill will replace birth control...but if someone wants to use it....it's their choice.

I also believe that down the line, the ramifications of this pill on a woman's reproductive system (or health in general) will be negative when the pill is abused (and it will be by some women).

Love_Spell_06 I know I rarely agree with you politically and that's fine, but in this instance I really take exception to your statement about 'loose' women.

Sometimes condoms fail. Sometimes accidents happen. Making a mistake does not make someone 'loose' and I think that most women in this situation are already under enough stress and don't need to be judged by us.

As to the pill, I agree with previous posters. The fact that some women will abuse it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be OTC. They will continue to abuse it regardless of whether it is readily available or not, they'll just go to the doctor and do it instead. Women who are responsible will not be LESS responsible because of this- no one in their right mind would put their body through that needlessly. I don't think it will make much of a difference to the MINORITY of women who use abortion/ morning after pills as birth control.

well you're entitled to your opinion...and i to mine :)

re: several previous posts
 

Whoa whoa whoa...the morning after pill does not equal abortion. Can we please stop equating the two? Unprotected sex does not always result in pregnancy. Who's to say that a woman taking the morning after pill is definitely insuring that a fertilized egg isn't implanting? It could be an unfertilized egg. There might not even be an egg. Please stop equating a morning after pill to abortion. Thank you.

Yes but I dont think we're entitled to be disrespectful of others.

But then again that's my opinion. I like to respect everyone.

ETA: until they prove they don't deserve it.

what's disrespectful?? if you're loose, you're loose!

A couple of years back I would have used this space to explain, in detail, why your statement was disrespectful to women stuck in a terrible situation that neither you or I have any business judging, but forget it.

If you really don't see it, then that's great.

big props to lovelyivy84 for realizing that some people will never get it and instead will live in ignorance

and if a condom breaks, are they still loose?

Sweetie u read my posts and take out of them what u want. If You don't know what a loose woman is and why she would be happy about a morning after pill...then I'm not going to explain that to you either. You're on a tangent that I am not even referring to in my post.

Awww...I'm living in ignorance so says mullet81...guess I'll go and be sad now:rolleyes: To say someone is living in ignorance because they either see things different or don't agree with you is in and of itself IGNORANT!

CLASS IS IN SESSION!!
 

I know some of you are either young or have not seen the world beyond college life... so I will explain to those that seem to not understand what a loose woman is.

Loose Woman - A whore who screws around with any and everyone they please, in the day and age of AIDS, without using a condomn, and worries about the consequences i.e. STD's pregnancy later.

So class...what have we learned?

Question: Are you being judgmental if you call someone loose??

Answer: No. Their actions are loose...you're just labeling what you see.

Question: Is this a generalization to say all that use the Morning After Pill are loose women?

Answer: Of course not. That would be reading into what you're saying. The premise is that "SOME" women who are LOOSE will be even happier that they don't have to wait to see if they are pregnant to get an abortion.

Question: Well what if someone says that we're being judgmental or ignorant for saying this?

Answer: Ignore them. They're either A) being argumentative B) only hearing what they want to hear or C) are offended because they themselves are loose!

And remember class...stand for what u believe in...no matter how many people disagree with you...if its in your heart!


CLASS DISMISSED!!!

Wow I see the issue in a WHOLE new light because of your INFORMATIVE posts.

Condescending and judgmental at the same time. That's what I learned.

Thanks for the "lesson". :rolleyes:

Any time
 

You are indeed welcome!

I am 100% pro-choice. In this case, I really think that this pill should be used under the care of a physician. The birth control pill doesn't have nearly as many side effects or health risks and it can only be bought by prescription. A perfect example is in the case with Holly. She had a massive infection. Granted, she was under the care of a doctor. I just think that if this pill were to become OTC that women would use it as a form of contraception (so wrong...) and there might be more cases like Holly's due to misuse.

ETA:

Yes, I know that Holly took the U-486 which is completely different than the morning after pill. My point is that both these pills can have adverse side effects that should be monitored by your doctor. When you take birth control pills, morning after pills, and the U-486, you are messing with your reproductive health. You could have some condition that you're unaware of that could be affected negatively if you take these pills which have an overload of hormones. Because you weren't ready for a child now, by taking these medications you could be ruining your chances of ever being able to have one in the future. I just know that with myself my reproductive health is something I would NEVER want to mess around with. I would want my gynecologist to monitor these drugs to make sure that my reproductive system stays healthy so that one day I can have kids.

Great point ZTAngel....

Sadly the truth about the health risks may not be seen until a long time from now....

lets not forget that as others in this thread have pointed out -

Holly took RU-486 - not the morning after pill. Each does something completely different. They are not trying to make the pill Holly took over the counter - but the morning after pill.

Those of you making arguments about it increasing promiscuity- how many of you are on birth control ? The Pill, the Patch, etc.? Or even using condoms?

When those were first introduced, and even well after, there was a very strong movement against them because it believed they'd increase promiscuity.

I sure hope that those of you making that argument are saving yourselves until marriage, because if not, it's kinda hypocrytical.

(Disclaimer: not an attack on anyone, just a general point. I don't even know who said what, i just skimmed the thread and saw this argument mentioned many times. It's not personal, it's something to think about)

Good point. Personally, I think it would be interesting to know how many women today would still choose to have sex before marriage if there were no birth control options available. It would also be interesting to compare that number with the number of women who chose to have sex before marriage back in the days when there was no such thing as birth control.

I am iffy about this. I am Roman Catholic, so I "should" be pro-life.
But then I would have to say condoms, the pill, the morning after pill, depo pavera (which I am on for medical reasons) and abortation is all wrong and a sin. Period, no "if ands or buts"

But as I said I am on depo my self. I use it medically, so in the churches eyes, I am a killer. (even though I am not sexually active).

But I also see women who are raped, or who have medical issues that a baby will kill them. Or every other issue that is similar.

The morning after pill does so much harm to the uterus. But then again so does abortion. I have an older friend (30ish) that when she was my age she was careless and used abortion as a condom. Now she is older and stable she is trying to have a baby with her hubby. They could concieve, but every time she miscarried. They finally did some test and the doctor told her and him that she will never be able to carry to full term because of the many abortions she had. The abortions left "scares". That even if the baby would live to full term it may casue terrible harm to her, or major issue to the baby (if born)


I also understand that the morning after pill could do this also, if used heavily. (Correct me if I am wrong) That the morning after pill also cause the women to be very sick for a couple days. This is why I beleive it sould be available but not right next to the condoms on the shelf.

Chris

I would also like to add a point about the effects of these hormonal contraceptions while on anti-depressants/anti-anxiety medications.

An acquaintance of mine was on Zoloft for her anxiety. She went on the birth control pill. About a week after being on the pill, she became really depressed and withdrawn. Her doctors thought maybe the Zoloft wasn't working as well as it had been so they put her on a higher dose. It wasn't until she attempted suicide the doctors realized her depression was caused by the birth control pills reacting negatively with the chemicals in the Zoloft. As we all know, an added dose of estrogen makes us more sensitive (hence PMS since it occurs when estrogen levels are the highest). The high levels of estrogen in her BC pills were not reacting well with the mood enhancing drugs she was taking. This doesn't happen all the time but it can be a factor. My roommate from two years ago was on Zoloft and BC pills at the same time and she was fine. It all depends on your biochemistry. I would assume though that the women who are taking this morning after pill are not on any type of birth control pills. Because of this, if they are taking any anti-depressants, they would not know how they'll react to a pill with a high dose of hormones. The morning after pill is basically the birth control pill but with A LOT more estrogen. Imagine if a woman who is on these anti-depressants had the same effect as the acquaintance of mine but, since the morning-after pill has more estrogen, it affected her 10 times more. :eek:

If these do become OTC, there needs to be a HUGE warning that goes out to women who are on anti-depressants. Not one of those tiny, fine-print things that you'll see on the bottle.