Contraception: Not a Matter of Conscience

By gilliebean (23, F, California)

Every year in the United States, almost 750,000 teenage girls aged 15-19 become pregnant. Though this number seems high, it is the lowest teen pregnancy rate in 30 years, down 36% since its peak in 1990. Teen abortion rates have also steadily declined since the ’90s. Research shows that fewer teens are having sex and those who are use contraception more frequently.

A few weeks ago, the FDA approved Plan B for over-the-counter sale for women 18 and up. Conservative critics claim the decision will spawn a wave of wild orgies now that teens have a back-up plan. The problem with that argument is that Plan B costs $25-40 for one use. How many teenagers are going to spring for that every time they have sex? Wouldn’t it make more sense just to use birth control pills, which cost about $30 a pack, or condoms, which are even cheaper? Anti-abortion groups also accuse Plan B of being nothing more than an abortion drug. Plan B’s primary purpose is to prevent ovulation, just like normal birth control pills. It might also prevent the fertilization of an egg or the implantation of a fertilized egg, but it will not terminate a pregnancy that is already in progress.

alexis99 asks, "If a pharmacist can refuse to sell it to you because they do not agree with you, than why can't cashiers refuse to sell condoms if they believe in abstinence?"

Four states—Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Dakota—have instated “conscience clauses,” laws designed to protect pharmacists who refuse to distribute emergency contraception for moral reasons. If the FDA has approved a drug for use, what right does a pharmacist have to tell a woman she can’t buy it? It is not his job to sell her his morality; his job is to give her the prescription she needs.

What exactly do conservatives want? They don’t want teen pregnancies, but they want to teach abstinence-only sex education programs. They don’t want abortions, but they object to contraception that will prevent unwanted pregnancies. We should teach teenagers that abstinence is the only 100% effective way to avoid pregnancy, but we should also make sure they know how to use contraception if they do have sex. Preventative measures like condoms and birth control pills are essential, but so is emergency contraception. Condoms break and mistakes happen. That’s why there’s Plan B.

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• Sex Ed: Gone…and Forgotten?

• Debate: Plan B or Plan for Birth?

• U.S. Teen Pregnancy Statistics

• Advocates For Youth Factsheet

• What's Behind the Decline?

• FDA Ruling Puts Pharmacists in the Crossfire

• Some Pharmacists Balk at Selling Plan B