Short Summary: The Morning After Pill

There are many reasons a woman may become pregnant and a child is unwanted. It could be due to unprotected sex, failed contraception, being raped, being assaulted, and simply failing to be informed. There has been a pill made available to women as young as 15 years old who may find themselves in these situations. The morning after pill known as Plan-B, is a very controversial subject. There are many positives, negatives and ethical dilemmas that have to do with using the pill. Although this form of emergency contraception has been on the market for many years and has been useful in avoiding unwanted pregnancies, the distribution of this pill over the counter to girls of age15 is simply unjust.
One may ask themselves, “What happens
Although Plan B may seem like the perfect ultimatum to unprotected sex, many studies show that it can have drastic results in the long-term. The Family Research Council states, “There is a clear lack of scientific studies on the long-term-effects of Plan B with respect to high dosage and repeated use in both women and adolescents” . In addition the authors state, “increased risk of ectopic pregnancy exists with Plan B usage… common physical side-effects a woman experiences following Plan B usage often mimic ectopic pregnancy symptoms, including cramping and severe pain. Consequently, there is valid concern for Plan B usage to actually mask ectopic pregnancy, an acute, life-threatening condition” . Clearly, Plan B is not the “utopia” of pregnancy aversion because it can have negative side effects on the woman, especially with repeated use of the pill. The health of these young girls needs to be taken into consideration and there certainly must be long-term effects to this last-minute pregnancy
Not only should pregnancy be a huge concern when not protecting oneself during sex, but the possibility of contracting an STD/STI should be equally concerning to the couple. With Plan B becoming more readily available to young girls, the need for contraception is decreasing. From the young girl’s perspective, she feels that she does not necessarily need to have protected sex if she can just buy Plan B the next morning and guarantee that she will not become pregnant. However, when a more educated individual ponders this claim he or she takes into account the possibility of contracting an STD or STI. Just because you can prevent pregnancy without having protected sex, does not mean that this emergency contraception can prevent ponders this claim he or she takes into account the possibility of contracting an STD or STI. Just because you can prevent pregnancy without having protected sex, does not mean that this emergency contraception can prevent you from contracting STDs and or STIs; in fact it does not protect you from those whatsoever. Dr. Peter Saunders of “LifeNews.com” states, “While county-level access to emergency contraception was unrelated to trends in STIs and abortions before access changed, access afterwards caused a statistically significant increase in STI rates (specifically gonorrhea rates), both overall and for females, and statistically