Increased access to Plan B carries risks

Virginia Fuller Podboy | Podboy is associate director of Virginia Catholic Conference.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Easy access to Plan B won’t decrease unintended pregnancies or abortion rates.

Despite Planned Parenthood’s Olivia Babis’ theoretical argument that proliferation of Plan B will decrease the 49 percent unintended pregnancy rate, multiple studies have debunked this myth. In England, local health authorities where pharmacies dispensed emergency contraceptives over the counter documented no impact on conception rates and a 5 percent increase in sexually transmitted infections. In children under 16, the STI increase was 12 percent. Similarly, in Sweden after Plan B was made widely available the abortion rate continued to rise, especially in the under 25 age group. Why? Simply typing “risk compensation” into a search engine reveals an interesting phenomenon in human nature. Basically, when people feel less vulnerable to consequences, they take more and greater risks. The European Plan B studies demonstrate this phenomenon perfectly. Easy access to Plan B leads to riskier sexual behavior.

Additionally, Ms. Babis stated that Plan B is safe. But some doctors believe Plan B increases the risks of a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. Imagine a 15-year-old girl needing immediate care for an ectopic pregnancy (or blood clot), but whose parents have no knowledge of her even taking Plan B. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration decision enables anyone 15 or older (including an abuser) to purchase Plan B over the counter. Removing the pharmacist and doctor eliminates a potential lifeline.

Finally, many first-time and experienced parents are enriched by children who were “unintended.” But teenage pregnancy and STIs can have drastic consequences for young girls. Increased access to Plan B will only increase this likelihood. It’s time girls heard the truth about risky early sexual behavior and not distortions about eliminating risk.

Monday, August 12, 2013