My Beef with the F.D.A.
(hem hem)
The F.D.A. will not approve Emergency Contreception (EC for short, aka The morning after pill) to be sold over the counter. Their reasoning is that it promotes "risky sex". (as if the people doing it werent already having risky sex) As of now it is only available via perscribtion (sp?) or at (applaud) Planned Parenthood. This is fine, BUT Pharmacies and PP are not open 24/7. In fact, I know personally that the Kent PP is closed on Sundays and closes at 3 on Saturdays. (I volunteered there, before you all start asking questions...) Now, if I were a sexually active teen, and it were Sunday, and I had sex (with or without a condom, because accidents do happen) and I needed EC, as to avoid needing an abortion, (because they are not the same thing)*,or an unwanted pregnancy, I would not have access to it.
(deep breath)
SOOOO... The F.D.A.'s like, "Ok, we can make it available over the counter (in the same section as condoms/family planning)**, but only to people who are 16 and older"...(crickets anyone?) First of all,
Do they really think that people under the age of 16 are not having sex?????? phsh. Not only that, but how are they going to monitor that really? I mean, a girl/boy goes to buy EC and the clerk asks for I.D., the kid turns out to be "too young", what's the clerk gonna say? "Oh I'm sorry, I can't sell you that, you're going to have to do something else..." HELL NO!!!! If it were me, I would be like, "good enough, at least you know that you have options, and you are using them, have a nice day."
(whew)
Of cousre, there are several steps people can take to avoid ever having to use EC. Using condoms***, birth control, spermicide, any and all combos of those is a good idea, and of course, abstinence (which I don't like the teaching of, I prefer that people know ALL the facts, rather than what not to do)
(ok, last little bit)
*EC is not the same as an abortion because, a woman is only considered pregnant if the fertalized egg has attached itself to the uteral lining. EC prevents this from happening by making the lining "unfit" to house the fertalized egg. Now, the sooner a girl takes EC the better the chances (you can take it up to 72 hours after unprotected sex) of it working... However, comma, If the fertalized egg has already attached itself, before the EC was taken slash gone into effect, it will not work, and thus, a pregnancy commences.
**Problem with some stores: They will have the condoms locked up or behind the check-out area...THIS IS SO STUPID!!! My reasoning: If sexually active teens go to the store to buy condoms (YAY!) for the first time, and find out that they are locked behind the counter, the chances of them asking to look through them are slim to none. They don't want to be starred at, they don't want people asking questions (even though legally no one at the store is allowed to). So they decide to either go to a different store(but if they have never bought condoms before, then they might assume that all stores are this way) or they decide to do it without...not good. So if ever you see condoms locked up or not easily accesable, please have a little chat with the manager for me.
*** FREE CONDOMS!!!! If you go to PP you have access to free condoms...However, I do not recomend using the ones that are just out in the little fishbowl...they don't exactly have the best ratings...BUT, if you go up to the counter, and ask for Trojans, Beyond 7, or any other name brand condom, you can get those as well...they will ask for a donation, but it is not required.
Thank you.
The F.D.A. will not approve Emergency Contreception (EC for short, aka The morning after pill) to be sold over the counter. Their reasoning is that it promotes "risky sex". (as if the people doing it werent already having risky sex) As of now it is only available via perscribtion (sp?) or at (applaud) Planned Parenthood. This is fine, BUT Pharmacies and PP are not open 24/7. In fact, I know personally that the Kent PP is closed on Sundays and closes at 3 on Saturdays. (I volunteered there, before you all start asking questions...) Now, if I were a sexually active teen, and it were Sunday, and I had sex (with or without a condom, because accidents do happen) and I needed EC, as to avoid needing an abortion, (because they are not the same thing)*,or an unwanted pregnancy, I would not have access to it.
(deep breath)
SOOOO... The F.D.A.'s like, "Ok, we can make it available over the counter (in the same section as condoms/family planning)**, but only to people who are 16 and older"...(crickets anyone?) First of all,
Do they really think that people under the age of 16 are not having sex?????? phsh. Not only that, but how are they going to monitor that really? I mean, a girl/boy goes to buy EC and the clerk asks for I.D., the kid turns out to be "too young", what's the clerk gonna say? "Oh I'm sorry, I can't sell you that, you're going to have to do something else..." HELL NO!!!! If it were me, I would be like, "good enough, at least you know that you have options, and you are using them, have a nice day."
(whew)
Of cousre, there are several steps people can take to avoid ever having to use EC. Using condoms***, birth control, spermicide, any and all combos of those is a good idea, and of course, abstinence (which I don't like the teaching of, I prefer that people know ALL the facts, rather than what not to do)
(ok, last little bit)
*EC is not the same as an abortion because, a woman is only considered pregnant if the fertalized egg has attached itself to the uteral lining. EC prevents this from happening by making the lining "unfit" to house the fertalized egg. Now, the sooner a girl takes EC the better the chances (you can take it up to 72 hours after unprotected sex) of it working... However, comma, If the fertalized egg has already attached itself, before the EC was taken slash gone into effect, it will not work, and thus, a pregnancy commences.
**Problem with some stores: They will have the condoms locked up or behind the check-out area...THIS IS SO STUPID!!! My reasoning: If sexually active teens go to the store to buy condoms (YAY!) for the first time, and find out that they are locked behind the counter, the chances of them asking to look through them are slim to none. They don't want to be starred at, they don't want people asking questions (even though legally no one at the store is allowed to). So they decide to either go to a different store(but if they have never bought condoms before, then they might assume that all stores are this way) or they decide to do it without...not good. So if ever you see condoms locked up or not easily accesable, please have a little chat with the manager for me.
*** FREE CONDOMS!!!! If you go to PP you have access to free condoms...However, I do not recomend using the ones that are just out in the little fishbowl...they don't exactly have the best ratings...BUT, if you go up to the counter, and ask for Trojans, Beyond 7, or any other name brand condom, you can get those as well...they will ask for a donation, but it is not required.
Thank you.