By Kimberly McLean
Earlier this week the FDA decided to block the over-the-counter sale of the morning after pill ? an action backed by many professionals in the Provo community.
While the morning after pill, also known as Plan B, can serve a purpose, many say that over-the-counter availability of the drug could possibly lead to increased sexual promiscuity and deter youth from discussing sexual issues with their parents.
Roy Silcox, associate professor in physiology and developmental biology at BYU, said another controversy surrounding Plan B is subjectively ethical: When does life begin?
?There is a value and a place for Plan B,? Silcox said. ?I don?t think its place is over-the-counter though.?
Silcox said it is difficult to determine whether Plan B is considered as a form of birth control or abortion. Almost everyone has a different opinion and definition of when life begins, which continues to make it a moral and medical hot topic he said.
Silcox also points out that easier access to the drug may inhibit communication between teens and parents. It could possibly hinder women from making the decision on their own as there would most likely be more pressure from the involved male or from other peers, he said.
The morning after pill, marketed as Plan B, is a super-dose of an ordinary birth control pill taken in two doses that shocks the body into a menstruation, typically preventing fertilization.
According to the Emergency Contraception Hotline, Plan B can lower the chance of pregnancy by 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. It can be taken with a significantly lower probability of pregnancy prevention up to five days after intercourse. The sooner it?s taken, the better it works, but it can sometimes be tough for women to get a prescription in time.
Chris Wood, a physician at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, said it is not difficult to obtain a prescription for Plan B ? during the week.
?Any woman who has had unprotected intercourse within the previous 120 hours is eligible for a prescription,? Wood said. ?The main controversy then lies in the fact that many doctors are not open on the weekends or past 5 or 6 p.m., making it difficult for a woman to obtain the pill in time.?
National scientists back over-the-counter sales for all ages, stating easier access to the drug could reduce the nation?s 3 million annual unintended pregnancies by half.
Pat Mills, community outreach coordinator for the Rape Crises Center in Orem, said while she doesn?t agree with making it available to young girls over-the-counter, Plan B is definitely a form of abortion and does have a practical application in today?s world.
?About 95 percent of the 600 rape victims we dealt with last year who weren?t already taking another form of contraceptive took Plan B,? Mills said. ?We don?t prescribe it, but we do recommend it as part of our protocol.?
Mills said giving rape victims the option of taking the morning after pill is a vital role in the healing process as it helps them regain a sense of control in their lives.
The Government Accountability Office reviewed the FDA?s rejection and said they found the FDA had followed unusual procedure on the issue. These procedure flaws include conflicting accounts of whether the decision was made months before scientific reviews were completed, unusual involvement from high-ranking officials and three FDA directors who normally would have been responsible for signing off on the decision declined to do so because they disagreed with it.
The BYU Student Health Center does not carry Plan B, but it is available throughout Utah County. It costs between $29.35 and $45.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not made an official statement about the morning after pill specifically, but has clearly stated its stance as pro-life, said Scott Trotter, church spokesman.
According to the church?s 2004 ?True to the Faith? publication, the decision to use birth control and contraceptive devices is between the married couple and the Lord in considering the sanctity and meaning of life and the sacred responsibility to bring children into the world.
Regarding birth control, President David O. McKay said, ?Love realizes its sweetest happiness and most divine consummation in the home where the coming of children is not restricted, where they are made most welcome, and where the duties of parenthood are accepted as a co-partnership with the eternal Creator. ? In all this, however, the mother?s health should be guarded. In the realm of wifehood, the woman should reign supreme.?