By Louis Avallone
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Ronald Reagan once said, “Governments have a tendency not to solve problems, only to rearrange them,” and the same could not be more true regarding the debate over the “Plan B” or “morning after” contraceptive. In fact, a U.S. District judge just ruled last month that the FDA must make “emergency contraception” available to girls of all ages, without a prescription, because there is no compelling state interest to restrict access based on age.
So, let me get this straight: In our nation today, a thirteen-year old girl, who cannot drive or vote, or even sign-up for soccer at the YMCA, without parental approval, can now ingest massive doses of synthetic hormones – which could result in nausea, lower abdominal pain, and blood clots – and parental consent is not even required?
If you’re like me, and think that sounds ridiculous, we apparently are in the minority on this issue because the American Medical Association, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have all recommended, for years, unrestricted access to emergency contraceptives. Even a U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that it was unconstitutional to ban the sale or distribution of contraceptives based on age, because doing so “clearly burdens the right of such individuals to use contraceptives if they so desire.”
Apparently, then, the same folks that brought us “safe” sex, are now bringing us “safe” emergency contraceptives. Well, we just can’t afford what that crowd is selling this time.
You see, this is all about a public policy aimed at marginalizing parents, rather than involving them. Sure, most anyone would want to encourage abstinence, and thereby prevent children from having babies. But does unrestricted access to contraceptives by children accomplish that goal?
Historically, it doesn’t seem so.
In 1999, the British government launched its Teenage Pregnancy Strategy program, aimed at reducing the number of teen pregnancies in half, by promoting birth control. After $454 million later, British teen-pregnancy rates, and teen-abortion rates, have climbed steadily – with teen-pregnancies (among girls under 16) reaching their highest level since 1998, which was the year before the program even began.
Here at home, the Centers for Disease Control reported last year that the unintended-pregnancy rate increased between 1995 and 2008 – despite increased contraception use, and the development of more reliable forms of contraception, as well.
So, if you consider the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1977 that said it was unconstitutional to burden the access and use of contraceptives, based on any minimum age requirement, and you consider the decision of the U.S. District just last month, ordering the FDA to lift all age restrictions on “emergency” contraceptives, it’s hardly a Norman Rockwell picture of America that so many of us still long for.
But there’s hope. In fact, up in Washington state, a U.S. District judge recently ruled completely the other direction, saying that it would be okay if pharmacies refused to sell “Plan B” to folks of any age, if they believe selling those products would violate their own religious beliefs. I’m sure that this decision will soon make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
But in the meantime, put all of this discussion against the backdrop of a federal healthcare system that is currently forcing religious organizations, such as the Catholic church, to offer insurance coverage for birth control, which apparently now pharmacies don’t have to sell in the first place (well, at least in Washington state, that is).
None of this fits together. None of it. It’s like Mark Twain said, “It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
So, instead of “quick fixes,” let’s promote abstinence, at home and in our schools. Instead of talking more about the medical risks of unprotected sex, let’s talk about how only 50% of teenage mothers graduate from high school or receive their GED. Or how they are 10 times more likely to live in poverty, and how almost 80% of them end up on welfare. Tell them that teenage mothers have higher levels of anxiety and depression, and how their children will be more likely to be incarcerated and be less likely to even finish high school themselves.
There’s no “morning after” pill for these consequences, and no substitute for making better choices. Focusing on providing children with unfettered access to contraception is not the issue, nor the answer, and that’s regardless of the question. The bottom line is that if you need this “Plan B,” then your Plan “A” couldn’t possibly have been that good of an idea to begin with.