Attempts to make morning-after pill more readily available blocked

[RagingInMiami]

When all else fails, go to Plan B -- if you can get it.

Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, can prevent an unplanned pregnancy if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. But women's health advocates say the pills have become a flashpoint in the abortion debate, and attempts to make them more readily available are being blocked.

"There are a lot of myths, unfortunately," said Karen Lustgarten, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach and Broward Counties Inc., "and one of those is that Plan B is an abortion pill. That's not what it is."

The contraceptive -- two tablets containing high doses of progestin, one of the hormones in birth control pills that block ovulation and prevent sperm and egg from uniting -- has been in use since 1999. Doctors can prescribe Plan B, and some make it available on a just-in-case basis, but fewer than 2 million doses are prescribed each year.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-rxplanb27dec27,0,1699696.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[Demeter]

1. Don't Confuse The GOP With the Facts

their pre-programmed minds are not capable of handling contradictions.

[MountainLaurel]

2. Today, the morning after pill

Tomorrow, regular contraceptives.

[depakid]

3. That's what they're after

I've been trying to tell people for years- but they just close their eyes and cover their ears.

I have no doubt that when Roe (and the earlier case it was based on Griswold) are overturned that some states will ban birth control.

Since the Dems as a party have no stomach for much of any kind of fight anymore- I'm pretty damn sure we'll see this. Too bad for those DU'rs and their daughters living in harsh red states.

[MountainLaurel]

4. Not just "red" states

Many other states, including some outside the traditional red states, have passed the conscience clause legislation that allows pharmacists to refuse to fill a scrip that offends their personal values. You can bet your bippy that birth control pills would be included in that, as possibly could AIDS drugs (since gays deserve to die for their sinful behavior -- of course, they wouldn't know and couldn't care less about how the person actually contracted the disease), psychologic medications (because psychology is just a symptom of secular society's selfish nature and mental illness doesn't exist), postpartum pain medication (because pain in childbirth is women's punishment for Eve's sin).

I think one possible scenario is that we'll end up like Romania, where 20 years after forced birth policies were put in place, those young adults who were unwanted and unloved ended up fomenting a revolution.

[RagingInMiami]

6. If only people in this country would be so politically minded

Realistically, they would just grow up to be criminals.

[atommom]

5. This is just so wrong. nt

[Lisa0825]

7. While we should fight to make it easier to get, we should also

disseminate the information that it can be "made" from many packs of regular birth control pills. Here is a link that shows which pills and what dosages to use, listed by country:

http://ec.princeton.edu/worldwide/default.asp

For example, pills available in the US which can be used as ECP include:

Dedicated Products / Progestin Only
Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:
Plan B
Oral Contraceptives used for EC / Progestin Only
Take 40 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:
Ovrette
Oral Contraceptives used for EC / Progestin-Estrogen Combined
Note: in 28-day packs, only the first 21 pills can be used
Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 2 more pills 12 hours later:
Ogestrel
Ovral
Take 4 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 4 more pills 12 hours later:
Cryselle
Levlen
Levora
Lo/Ovral
Low-Ogestrel
Nordette
Portia
Seasonale
Take 5 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex and take 5 more pills 12 hours later:
Alesse
Aviane
Lessina
Levlite
Lutera