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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
My own experience with Plan B type medication - once was enough to remind me that condoms or other forms of BC MUST ALWAYS be used. The side effects are very unpleasant (and I am a woman with mild to moderate menstrual symptoms anyway.)
Let's start with the nausea, which can knock you off your feet for the better part of two days. Then we'll get to the cramps, which feel roughly like someone has reached inside of your lower belly with a long needle and is poking your delicate insides repeatedly. Then, since you are nauseous and your tummy is hurting, you have the general flu-like symptoms of sleepyness and disorientation. All in all you are out of work or school or whatever you participate in for at least a day - physical pain is a good deterrent to repeat incidents.
The idea of a young woman trying Plan B once and then again engaging in sex that would require her to use it again in the same MONTH even is beyond the pale. Unless the young woman in question has a high tolerance for pain, she will learn from this experience.
And I am sorry Mr. Esser as you may be a very responsible and caring person, but YOU are not the one who has to worry about a pregnancy and YOU are not the one who has to suffer the long term effects of such a decision (legal and moral responsibility do not always coincide with reality). Nor are you the one who has to endure the side-effects of Plan B. Your questions are valid, but your real intent is clear. It would as difficult for you to understand this pain as it would be for most women to understand why it hurts you guys so much when your testicles are kicked really hard.
I stand educated on Plan B and why it might be safe for OTC use.
By the way, I have to say I never heard about the horrible side-effects of Plan B before (not that has anything to do with it being OTC).
I am not saying that Plan B should not be sold over the counter, as I said; I do not have the necessary background to say that. As the drug has been approved for prescription use, I presume that it has been shown to not carry long term health effects when used properly, and as such the only real question before the FDA should be with regard to complications associated with it’s use and whether or not they indicate that a physician be involved in administering the drug.
My central argument is that better and more convenient access to the Pill is a more effective front where to focus one’s efforts to entreat the FDA.
I think, that by focusing on OTC approval of the Pill (which ever version of the Pill is most safe and effective to circumvent arguments about the different versions of the pill) you avoid the very real political opposition to Plan B (even among conservatives the Pill is already a common part of people’s lives), and increase acceptance of the notion of women overseeing their own reproductive health.
Yes I do believe that research should be done into the effects of repeated use of a drug before it is approved to be taken without a doctor’s supervision. I also believe that such studies have yet to be done with regard to Plan B. And yes, I do believe that the pain and discomfort of the use this drug will not prevent its use by many people as a primary form of birth control. People routinely do things that are not good or enjoyable for them because it is a path of least resistance. This being said however my beliefs are beside the point in this debate. What I have an issue with is whether or not this is the most effective fight to be waged.
While I certainly feel for the woman who finds herself in a situation where this drug is denied them, a woman in a rural area where local mores prevent her access to Plan B by prescription would be in no better a situation if Plan B were an OTC drug. The local pharmacist who opposed the drug with a prescription would be just as opposed to its sale OTC and choose not to carry the drug at all. Likewise, as the drug is to be used as an emergency contraceptive there may not be a large market for it in these rural areas giving larger retailers the cover not to carry it as well, and there by avoid confrontation with local opposition.
By contrast, if the efforts currently focused on getting Plan B approved for over the counter sales were instead put on the Pill, then in short order it would be approved (due to the much lower opposition). Approval of OTC Pill would lead to greater marketing of the product and thusly greater awareness and availability. Likewise, once the Pill has been approved for over the counter sales, the opposition to Plan B would be that much less, as one could point out that over the counter sales of the Pill did not lead to the downfall of western civilization as one might have thought. By making Plan B the priority you simply exacerbate an already contentious debate and prevent any real progress in women’s health from happening.
Again, of course, these are simply my own humble opinions and I thank you for considering them.
I mean, c'mon, they put a person who's name is Janet Woodcock in a decision-making role on this issue. Stands to reason that, well, they may not necessarily be going to taking a lead role in regulating this interest in the best interest of women. I can just see our Beavis and Butthead administration going
"Who should we put in charge of stonewalling women's reproductive drights in the name of our right-wing, lunatic fringe? I know, heh, heh, let's put Woodcock, in charge. Heh, heh, heh heh, yeah, Woodcock."
Tragically,at this point in this administration, I'm not sure if I'm actually being completely snarky here or whether, given their record of relating to the American public, particularly on these sorts of issues, this could actually have happened.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
