Anne Woods: A Weekend for Superheroes
The Morning After Pill - Should Your Teen Need Your Permission?
Filed under: Opinions
Do you think your 17-year-old daughter should be able to take the morning after pill without your knowledge or consent? How about without a doctor's visit or even a prescription?
Well, last week, a New York District Judge ordered the FDA to lower the age of prescription and consent-free access to the morning after pill from 18 to 17 years of age. But Judge Korman isn't satisfied. He wants the morning after pill to be available (without consent or prescription) to all girls, regardless of age, and is pushing the FDA to do just that.
In my view, the decision to make Plan B available over the counter to girls is wrong on many fronts. The morning after pill is not an aspirin! There can be serious side affects such as nausea, cramping and even bleeding – not to mention the mental strain of taking a high dosage of hormones. Without a prescription, many teens will endure these symptoms alone, without the guidance or support of a doctor or parent. This is an unnecessary and unacceptable risk.
Without a prescription, sexually active girls will also bypass potentially life-saving STD screening tests. In addition, Plan B's over-the-counter status makes it especially attractive to sexual predators who may coerce young girls to take it, the same way many of them force their young victims into abortions.
As a mom, the most troubling problem with this decision is that it undermines my ability to parent my child and just at a time when teachers, politicians, and the president himself are pleading for parents to take more responsibility for their kids and their social lives.
Why wouldn't the government want parents involved in the medical matters of their children? Do they not want young girls to seek their parents' counsel when they find themselves in a difficult situation? I presume that advocates of this decision are worried that some girls may be afraid to tell their parents. But as parents we understand that our children will, at one time or another, do things we are not particularly happy with or proud of – and that may involve discovering that our child is sexually active. Yet, as parents, we need to know these things so we can counsel and love our children through these circumstances according to our family's values. That's our job!
For parents who want to parent, this ruling is yet another government intrusion on the parent-child relationship, Sadly, it will only encourage girls to bypass mom and dad when they need them most.
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ReaderComments (Page 4 of 4)
4-08-2009 @ 9:06PM
Sifrina said...I can understand your strong feelings about your teen possibly not involving you to be part of this important decision (good for you if you aren't forcing her to carry a baby to term), but I absolutely don't comprehend any parent who's actually hung up on who pays the bill for their child's medical care. I'd pay for my child's medical care bill even if self induced (even past 18) - that's what committed, loving parents do, without even blinking an eye - not look for someone else to pay. And YES, I can and do pay for other parents' children's medical care, children I don't even know.
And I'll give it right back to you: why are you forcing your anti choice ___ (I'll skip your language) on me and my government and many, many 17 year olds? Again, desperate messages like this say it all. Have you ever discussed this issue with your teen? What's her view? Good luck with your making all the decisions with your teen!!
I truly hope no 17 year old ever finds herself contemplating plan B - but it's there if they need it.
4-09-2009 @ 3:15PM
EK said...Just curious if you're going to address the accusation that Sarah Palin allowed Levi and Brisol to sleep together in the Palin home, BEFORE she ran for VP? Who am I kidding, I'm sure you'll find a way to justify it.
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4-23-2009 @ 8:05PM
jessie said...I am a 17 year girl and my views on this is that it is fine. Now I dont belive the Plan B pill should be givin to girls under 16 without parent consent. If your parents are going to flip out o you then dont have sex or use protection. Its easy, go to a drug store and get condoms or to the health department and get birth control. I understand the parents view thinking that it could make a child not want to talk to you but some girls just dont want to talk about their sex lives with their parents!!
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4-25-2009 @ 1:20AM
SmartOne said...I am a 17 year old girl and I am often very frustrated by how people seem to think that teens (especially older teens 16 or 17) aren't capable of making certain decisions. I was 16 when I decided that I was going to be responsible for my future. I went and got birth control pills. By myself. I was treated like someone of suitable age to make that sort of desision and i appreciate that. I did my research. I understood all the possible risks and side effects. I also understood that most women can take hormonal birth control methods with no or minimal problems.
In the year that I've been sexually active, yes i have resorted to taking the plan b pill because of being on antibiodics (that by the way, my doctor perscribed for me without consent from my mother)and then having a condom break. I still had to get it with a perscription, but I had a sort of "pre-perscription" for it incase I ever needed it so i could just walk in and get it, no questions asked, and I appreciated that. I think it's great that it is now going to be available without a perscription for 17 year olds, because the time that I needed it, it was a weekend and that made it very scary for me considering the longer you wait to take it, the less effective it is.
For those of you that say the plan b pill is going to encourage teens to have sex without thinking about it more, I think thats a totally irrational assumption. Yes there are girls out there who are uneducated about things like this, but for the girls that actually take responsibility for their lives and understand the risks and consequenses, like me, I say thanks to the FDA.
Also, I understand that there has to be an age cutoff before you can be considered legally responsible for youself, but I definately think anyone 16 or older should be considered responsible for their sexual health, actually responsible for their health in general. This is my body. And as much as I would appreciate anything my mom could do to help me with anything that has to do with my health, I have this part under control.
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5-08-2009 @ 2:31AM
Mousuke said...SmartOne--I agree with you on several points.
"I am often very frustrated by how people seem to think that teens (especially older teens 16 or 17) aren't capable of making certain decisions."
---I know how you feel. I'm 21 and my mom reacted like I was an irrational child. Teenagers are in a stage of transition and they can (admittedly) be difficult for their parents as they grow up and establish themselves as young adults, but in the later years of adolescence, teens really develop more of a sense of personal responsibility. Some are more developed/mature than others, but perhaps that can be a reason in an of itself for allowing older teens to obtain Plan B.
"For those of you that say the plan b pill is going to encourage teens to have sex without thinking about it more, I think thats a totally irrational assumption."
---Agreed again. It doesn't make teens have sex; it just gives them some ownership in their sexuality and allows them to take more responsibility. I think some parents are concerned that teens will mistake Plan B as a form of birth control instead of using the pill/condoms, but that leads me back to my point that parents really need to be instructing their teens about the different kinds of birth control, their advantages and disadvantages, and how to obtain them and use them safely.
5-08-2009 @ 7:45PM
Mousuke said...As a 21-year-old college student and a non-mom, I have a somewhat different take on this.
My parents (especially my mom) avoided discussing sex with me. I think they operated under the assumption that if I had a question/concern, I would ask them. From my dad, I got the impression of "just be safe and responsible"; from my mom, I got the vibe of "don't do it, EVER." This was not a helpful way of educating me.
I didn't date at all through middle school or high school, and lost my virginity to my boyfriend of two years while at college (still together, going on 3 years). Like hell if I was going to ask my mom for permission to make love to my man! I went to my school's campus clinic (which is affiliated with Planned Parenthood), where I got on the pill, got free condoms, and was even given a dosage of Plan B for emergency use if needed (I've never used it, it sits on my shelf as a safety net for just in case). My boyfriend and I pay for our own birth control and I have a daily alarm on my cellphone that tells me take the pill the same time everyday. We're good people, responsible, and in it for commitment.
When my mom somehow found out I was having sex (I'm not sure how she discovered this, I have the suspicion she was snooping, which brings up another point: mothers, please don't read your daughter's diaries), she was so furious that she didn't speak to me for three months. It was ridiculous; I wasn't pregnant, I was on the pill, my boyfriend and I waited two years before doing the deed, etc. From my point of view, it really wasn't any of her business, as she wasn't paying for it. In fact, I'd kind of been hoping for some praise for waiting and being responsible. But no, she didn't talk to me for three months and it caused a serious rift in our relationship. Only in the past few months has she been talking to me again, and things are still weird. Her reaction makes me think twice about ever sharing private information with her.
So, given that, my thoughts are this:
Should parents pay for their teens' birth control? NO.
Should parents let their teens have sex under their roof? NO.
Should parents teach their teens about sex, birth control, and how to obtain birth control? YES.
Should parents stress "never having sex" as a realistic goal? NO.
Should parents stress making responsible choices? YES.
Should teens (16+) be able to obtain their own birth control (ex. via Planned Parenthood)? YES.
Without parental permission? YES.
Should teens be evaluated by said services before obtaining birth control? YES.
Should teens having sex be held responsible for their sexual health and safety? YES.
Should teens be able to obtain Plan B without parental permission? YES.
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5-17-2009 @ 5:46PM
martha said...i think it should be avaliable to all teens because accidents can happen. I think it should be made avaliable to all of us becaause it saves us from an abortion , which can lead to health and mental issues. Also in an event of a rape and the girl does not want to notify anyone, the pill can prevent a pregnancy.
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5-26-2009 @ 1:37AM
erin said...I believe the intent here is to help girls that are having sex and risk getting pregnant a preventative that is easily accessible. Many of these girls cannot go and tell their parents due to getting abused, kicked out, or severely condemned over it. I believe it is up to the parents to ensure they have a close enough relationship with their daughters so that they know they can come to talk to them about a situation like this. If this was not available to these girls many of them would end up with unwanted pregnancies resulting in abortion or young moms not equiped to being moms just yet. I think its important for girls that are sexually active to have the right and ability to access this and I believe its on the parents to make certain their relationship is close enough with their daughters so they can come discuss this with them.
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5-26-2009 @ 1:38AM
erin said...One more thing. Plan B is not an abortion pill anyway you look at it, unless of course you think taking the birth control pill is also an abortion pill??? What this pill does (or pills do) is create a mucus so that the sperm cannot get through to fertilize an egg. However in my case with my husband, we had an accident occur during a time I was switching birth control methods, I went and got the Plan B in the time frame I was told to and I did end up pregnant. I got pregnant apparently before I got the medication. So it is not an abortion pill, it is an emergency contraceptive to prevent pregnancy before it occurs. Which also means this is a very time sensitive situation and girls need it a lot fast then they can usually work up the courage to discuss it with their folks.
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5-27-2009 @ 12:07PM
JennyLove said...I have to disagree with this post.
I was a young teenager who grew up in an extremely strict home where sex was not discussed, and ended up in a terrible situation when my parents found out I'd had sex.
I understand that some of you are worried about your own children, but the inaccessability of emergency contraceptives is a terrifying thought to many young women - women whose parents would rather put them on the street than permit them to have an abortion.
I believe this law should be repealed - If you realized how many of the girls stripping for cash are young mothers trying to support their families because they have been disowned or put on the street due to their "conditions," you would agree with me.
I would like to see this drug be available to ALL women, to prevent more circumstances like my own.
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6-11-2009 @ 12:09PM
TonyaH said...I have a 15 year old step daughter. Even though she's not my biological daughter I still advise her not to have sex until she's married or least until she's old enough to understand what knid of big step that is. I also have explained to her about birth control. (She feels more comfortable with me cuz I'm not her real mom). I think if she does make a mistake in judgement and has sex, that yes she should be able to get the morning after pill without her parents consent. Because in any case, you don't always know the relationship the girl has with her parents. I think this should be a decision that she can make on her own.
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4-08-2010 @ 5:21PM
kid123 said...OK. I'm 15 and a very responsible kid. I don't think the pill should be available without parental consent for a lot of reasons (I know you all have already mentioned most):
1. My parents have to sign forms for EVERYTHING: clubs, sports, field trips, Advil, and leaving school early. Why should any minor be allowed to take this pill that has so many potential side effects without their parents consent?
2. My parents pay all my medical bills. If a minor got sick from taking the pill, her parents would be the ones footing the bill.
3. In case you all don't know, some drugs counteract or enhance other drugs. Your doctor needs to know every medicine you take just to be sure he doesn't prescribe anything dangerous. If a girl takes the pill and doesn't tell her parents, they won't be able to tell her doctor if she ever gets sick.
4. If girls have open relationships with their parents, this wouldn't be an issue because we would tell our parents everything anyway.
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