Build A Baby

There are many medical options when it comes to having an abortion. The issue I will be addressing is the morning after pill and the controversy of it being available to any age without a prescription. There are two sides to this debate. The first side is pro-pill and they feel it should be available to any age without a prescription. They feel that this is beneficial to girls who cannot talk with their parents about sex or girls who get rapped and are too embarrassed to tell their parents. They feel that making the morning after pill available to these girls will prevent unwanted pregnancy and will help these girls avoid emotional problems. The second side feels that making these pills available to any age takes the parent’s rights away. They feel that it will promote promiscuity and increase the risk of std’s. So the big question that needs answered is should the morning after pill be available to any age without a prescription? I think the best place to start would be with the health risks, if any, of the morning after pill.
The first source of interest is “The Truth about “The Morning After Pill,”” American Life League, Inc., 2012. Web. 1 July 2013. . This website is an informational website about the side effects of the morning after pill. The site describes minor side effects as nausea, headache, dizziness, vomiting and melsama (skin discoloration; dark irregular patches) While the serious side effects can include Cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding into the cranial cavity),Cerebral thrombosis (blood clot that drains blood from the brain), Retinal thrombosis (blockage of the central retinal vein that carries blood away from the eye),Change in corneal curvature (steepening of the cornea), Thrombophlebitis and venous thrombosis with or without embolism (blood clots in the veins),Mesenteric thrombosis (blood clot in the major veins that drain blood from the intestine),Hemorrhagic eruption (bleeding eruption),Arterial thromboembolism (blood clots in the heart),Pulmonary embolism (arterial blockage, usually from a blood clot, that cuts off one lung's blood supply),Myocardial infarction (heart attack),Budd-Chiari Syndrome (closing of the veins that carry deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the heart, Hemolytic uremic syndrome (kidney failure and low platelet count in the blood). All of these serious side effects can lead to death or permanent damage.
The site goes on to give medical statistics about other products that are only available by prescription, but that have less hormones then the morning after pill that doesn’t need a prescription. The morning after pill can cause higher rates of ectopic pregnancies for women who have used the pill vs. women who have not used the morning after pill. Another important issue about making the morning after pill accessible to any age is that any girl under the age of fifteen who has to use this pill would be considered by law to have been raped.
This information should be taken into consideration by both sides of the morning after pill debate. While most women will not experience the serious side effects of this pill I can see why there should be a concern of the health risks for those who use this pill. While adult women would be able to take action if they had these side effects I have concern on how underage girls would be able to seek medical attention if they can’t talk to their parents about the need for the morning after pill.
The second source that I will use is Baulieu, Etienne-Emile, and Mort Rosenbaum. The "Abortion Pill." 7th ed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. I will use this to address the debate of the morning after pill being an abortion or a contraceptive. Pro-life activists think that any interference with an embryo is an abortion. Because the morning after pill keeps an embryo from becoming attached to the cervical wall it is considered to be interfering with the natural process of pregnancy and therefore it is an abortion. Pro-choice activists argue that doctors believe pregnancy starts when the embryo implants into the cervix. However, the morning after pill does not allow implantation to occur due to a hormone needed to attach the egg to the cervix. In Balieus book he describes how his pill is basically birth control on steroids. It’s one pill that adds up to about a one month supply of birth control pills. Because of this many people argue that this pill isn’t a form of abortion but a contraceptive. Another thing that Dr. Balieu states is that his pill can be used for several other conditions. The morning after pill has been proven effective in treating certain breast cancers, inoperable brain tumors and Cushing’s syndrome. I interpret abortion as something that can only take life. It seems that this morning after pill can do more than stop a life from forming. It can actually help to save lives as stated above.

For my final source I will use Landau, Elizabeth. The Morning after Pill. CNN. CNN News, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 1 July 2013.http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/health/morning/after/pill. This article by Landau raises an important question. Is legalizing the morning after pill to girls of any age infringing on parent’s rights? In this article Landau interviews a mother of four. In her interview the mother states that "It breaks my heart and saddens me and really angers me." "If you have to buy Sudafed, you have to show ID. When I buy spray paint for a project for my daughter, I have to show my ID. It just baffles me that, with this, which has to do with pregnancy and being sexually active, I don't have to be involved. That to me just violates my rights as a parent to have guidelines and parameters for my children." With Landaus interview I can see why many parents feel this is a violation of their rights as parents. I can see why they would want to know what is going on in their child’s life. However, another interviewer by Landau stated that “These pills being available to teens are far better of an option than having a young couple being forced to become parents, for a young girl, who made a bad choice one evening, who may be forced to abort, or ultimately having to give up a child for adoption." The other side of this argument is very persuasive. To me it seems that in this situation of parental rights it’s a matter of choosing the lesser of the two evils. To not have say over your child would be difficult, but to see your child go through something as difficult as an abortion, adoption, or having to grow up fast to be a parent themselves would be hard.
Based on the information of these sources that I have researched, I believe I have a good view of both sides of this debate. I can honestly say that I can see why this is such a difficult situation to address. However, for me I would have to say that I’m still against legalizing this pill for any child under the age of seventeen. I see to many health risks that could be potentially dangerous and cause permanent damage to a child who is too naïve to realize the possible outcome of taking this pill. I, also, think that a teenager who is too embarrassed to talk to their parents about their decision to be sexually active should not be having sex in the first place. However, I know this will not stop teens from being sexually active. I’m also aware that for some girls their embarrassment of being raped is too great to talk about with their families. Because of this I think there should be a place where teens can go to get this pill, but still be under the supervision of an adult for health reasons. I think this place should offer education and counseling to avoid further need for the pill. I, also, think there should be guidelines of how many times a girl can use the morning after pill before her parents would be notified. This would help to make sure that the morning after pill is used only as emergency contraception. In doing this I feel that it would encourage girls to have safer sex.