OPINION & EDITORIAL
Potential pitfalls abound for Plan B
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Also by Gabbie Wade:
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by Gabbie Wade
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Generally, I love being a girl. I will admit, however, that it comes with its fair share of problems. No matter how you spin it, the girl has to bear the child, which means that if there is any sort of "accident," the girl is stuck with the responsibility. Yes, there are methods of birth control, but what happens if you forget just once? The good news is you can always fall back on Plan B.
Plan B, more commonly known as the "morning-after pill," is a backup method for preventing pregnancy and is not intended for routine use. It is FDA approved, and does not currently require a prescription. If you take it within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it will decrease your chance of pregnancy by 89 percent.
The other day, I was reading The Badger Herald when I came upon a piece that said pharmacies that do not offer emergency contraception will be required to post a sign telling customers where they can purchase Plan B.
Although I am not against the use of Plan B as a backup method for preventing pregnancy, I do believe making it so readily available may not be the best idea. Not only could this new policy spark controversy on campus because many people see Plan B as a form of abortion, but it also could lead to dependence on Plan B, which would mean a decreased concern with the use of contraception before sex.
Personally, I believe that a woman has the right to choose whether or not she wants a child, and therefore, she may choose to use birth control methods, either before or after sex. There are some people, however, who do not share my views and believe that anything taken the morning-after conception is considered abortion. With all of the other controversy on campus and the recent disagreements between the Roman Catholic Foundation and the University of Wisconsin, it may be best to avoid further conflict.
Disregarding the possible religious backlash, I still think that increased availability of emergency contraception may lead to increased use of it as birth control. The problem here is that emergency contraception is less effective at preventing pregnancy than birth control methods used before sex, and it does not protect against STDs.
Plan B is meant as simply that: a backup plan. It should not be seen as a primary method of birth control. I fear that if it becomes more easily available, people will be less cautious before intercourse because they know that it is relatively easy to obtain Plan B after sex. Compared to condoms and a daily birth control pill, Plan B is only 89 percent effective, while male condoms, when used correctly, are 98 percent effective. Female condoms are 95 percent effective, and the pill is 95-99.9 percent effective. Clearly, pre-intercourse methods of birth control have higher success rates and therefore should be the preferred method.
Many people do not have sufficient knowledge of Plan B, and may not know that it isn't the most effective method of birth control. By making it more accessible without forcing people to learn about it, some may use Plan B improperly as their main form of birth control. This could lead to more unwanted pregnancies, since it is not as effective as other methods, as well as some uncomfortable side effects such as intense nausea.
Also, in terms of preventing STDs, Plan B is similar to the pill; neither protects you. Unless you are having sex with someone who you are positive does not have any STDs and you are positive that you do not have any STDs, you should always use a method of birth control that also protects you from STDs.
Although Plan B can be very helpful in extreme situations, it should not be anyone's primary form of birth control, and making it more easily accessible may cause that sort of response from college students. The best way to protect against both unwanted pregnancy and disease is still with the good old-fashioned condom. Don't be a fool — wrap your tool.
Gabbie Wade (gwade@wisc.edu) is a freshman intending to major in journalism.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 3:13am):
1. Worst, WORST! introduction to an article ever.
2. Is it really a plausible argument, to not have the signs in order to avoid trying to "spark controversy" among people who think that Plan B is a type of abortion? When you try to please everybody, often you please nobody.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 8:32am):
If you're intending to major in journalism, you really need to work on your writing. Based on this article, there is no way you're getting into the J-school
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 10:45am):
I feel stupider having read this article.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 11:04am):
People are going to have sex as much as they possibly can anyway. Making birth control easily available won't increase the amount of sex people have. But I have no sympathy for sluts who get knocked up. If you don't want a baby, then don't have sex. Duh! You act like sex is some inherent right. If it is, then where is mine? I think the government should offer "welfare sex" to people who can't get any otherwise.
Also, people think that 98% protection is good, but if you have sex 20 times, there is a 33.2% chance you get, or get someone, pregnant. I wouldn't throw my life away on those odds.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 12:33pm):
11:04 has just justified why he's still a virgin. There you go, buddy, that right girl will come along some day; perhaps she wrote this article.
Yes, I agree, this article is straight-up 10th grade. Don't make Plan B easily available, but place it at the end of an obstacle course that involves an essay about why you won't accidentally get knocked up again.
Hello, Ms. Wade, we're all adults here. I'm sure America appreciates your recommendation to wrap tools with condoms, but we've heard that song for 25 years; obviously there's a flaw, a human flaw, in that recommendation.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 2:58pm):
Other then the immature comments above this, I believe this is a well written article. So what if it is what you call "10th grade". It gets the point across clearly. And for that matter, 10th grade wasn't so long ago for some people so just chill out. I agree that Plan B shouldn't be a back up plan and if it is so easily accesible, it may be used as a primary source of birth control.
I agree that people are going to have the same amount of sex, but maybe they will be better protected against unexpected pregnancies and STD's.
And so what if we have heard the last line over and over. If it works in this paper then it works. And I believe it works.
There is no need to bash an article that is just stating an opinion. So stop being so mean. Thanks.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 3:14pm):
i liked it!
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 4:14pm):
I would just like to add that Plan B does NOT abort an already implanted pregnancy. I am a pharmacy student and, unless my professors are all liars, I can tell you that this is the truth. Please stop reporting that people see this as a form of abortion because doing so only spreads this false information to more people that may not know much about how Plan B works.
I think we should also keep in mind that this was an opinion article, and you (the author) are entitled to your opinion, no matter how misinformed it is.
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 7:17pm):
"Also, people think that 98% protection is good, but if you have sex 20 times, there is a 33.2% chance you get, or get someone, pregnant. I wouldn't throw my life away on those odds."
Wait, what? Not correct. At all. Otherwise, wouldn't 1 out of every 3 people who'd had sex (and were female) 20 times or more be guaranteed to be pregnant?
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 7:26pm):
I'm glad you wrote the article. The overall message is spot on.
in response to 11:04 -
"people think that 98% protection is good, but if you have sex 20 times, there is a 33.2% chance you get, or get someone, pregnant. I wouldn't throw my life away on those odds."
I take it statistics is not your major. Why don't we see so many pregnant ladies walking around campus?....hmmmm....maybe 98% effective means throughout the YEAR, 98% of takers of the pill will NOT become pregnant
This is some info found on a typical explanation of the pill:
"If women take the combination pill every day at the same time, it is more than 99% effective. This means that if 100 women take the combination pill every day, less than 1 woman will become pregnant in a year.
Although it's obvious that the combination pill is most effective against pregnancy when it is taken every day at the same time, perfect use hardly ever happens. That's why it is often considered 95% effective. This means that if 100 women use the combination pill, but do not take it perfectly, 5 or more women will become pregnant in a year."
Anonymous (November 29, 2006 @ 11:43pm):
this is an opinion article. everyone is entitled to their own opinions and just because you don't agree does not give you the right to bash it?
Anonymous (November 30, 2006 @ 8:56am):
Didn't you know that sifting and winnowing involves protesting and bashing everything you disagree with?
Anonymous (November 30, 2006 @ 11:40am):
Your fear about easy access to Plan B is a widely-held one. But it is based on the common assumption that women can't make their own intelligent choices, and therefore need the government to regulate their options. Studies have already shown that women do not make poorer sexual choices when Plan B is easily accessible. The only thing that increases with increased accessibility is a woman's likelihood to use Plan B. There is no reason to deny women the ability to prevent an unwanted pregancy, and possibly an abortion, because some believe women won't be intelligent enough to use Plan B properly.
The assertation that Plan B is like an early abortion is not based on facts. Emergency contraception prevents conception, and does not kill a fetus. If a fetus is already in the womb, Plan B has no effect on it. Plan B should be viewed as a great way to reduce abortions by those who believe abortion is wrong.
