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Plan B ControversyBy: Lisa Morgan

+Background Info

Plan B is used as an after-sex contraceptive used to prevent pregnancy.

The law on Plan B currently states it must be sold behind a pharmacy counter with only individuals 17 or older eligible to purchase it.

+Background Info (Continued) In December of 2011, the Food and Drug

Administration was planning to revoke the age restriction on the Plan B pill. Two studies were performed on young girls showing the pill was safe.

FDA was turned down. Obama’s decision was based on Kathleen Sebelius, his Secretary of Health and Human Services who overruled the FDA who wanted to make Plan B available for everyone.

+Argument Against Age of Consent Supporters: Groups like public health and

women’s rights advocates. Believe that Obama and Sebelius decision was

focused around politics rather than science. Also, it’s seen as a barrier to women’s rights

and untrusting towards the judgment of intelligent scientists.

+Argument Against Age of Consent (Continued) According to FDA, Plan B can prevent pregnancy

in three ways: by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, by preventing the fertilization of an egg and by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus”

Therefore, Plan B is NOT abortion. It cannot terminate a pregnancy if a girl is already pregnant.

The “abortion pill” is able to terminate pregnancy up to nine weeks after conception.

+Argument for Age of Consent Supporters: Conservative and anti-abortion

groups. Sebelius believed there are huge differences

in the behavioral and cognitive growth of a young child/adolescent compared to someone over the age of 17.

Law regarding age of consent does not mean parental consent. If girl under 17 has approval that it is safe from a doctor, she is able to purchase it.

+Argument for Age of Consent(continued) Plan B has the possibility of preventing an

early embryo from implanting in womb, which they see equivalent to abortion.

Not enough research/evidence to prove that it is safe enough to be an OTC drug available for anyone.

Plan B can cause many side effects for women including nausea, lower-abdominal pain, headaches, changes in woman’s menstrual cycle, and breast tenderness.

+Mediation

After researching both sides of this long debated controversy, I have come to the conclusion that President Obama made an educated decision about Plan B only being available for purchase by women over the age of 17.

*Exception: If a young woman is responsible and receives a doctor’s approval, she is more than capable to use the pill.

+Support for Mediation

This pill should be more difficult to obtain the Tylenol and ibuprofen.

Takes much thought and maturity to choose to use Plan B.

Our society should be doing everything we can to withhold young children from having sex.

Before the law regarding Plan B changes, there needs to be many more studies showing it is completely safe to be taken at any age.

+Work Cited

Melnick, Meredith. “US Rejects FDA Advice to Sell Plan B One-Step Over the Counter.” Time: Healthland. Web. 7 December, 2011.

Adams, Jill. “A Look at the Plan B Pill Controversy.” Los Angeles Times. Web. 17 December, 2011.

Rettner, Rachel. “Morning-After Pill: Plan B Controversy Explained.” Yahoo! News. Web. 8 December, 2011.

Stein, Rob. “Obama Administration Refuses to Relax Plan B Restrictions.” The Washington Post: National. Web. 7 December, 2011.

Mayberry, April. “Commentary on Plan B Controversy.” GXP Perspectives. Web. 28th December, 2011.

+ RUBRIC:

+Overall Comments:

The “Plan B” contraceptive controversy, since it’s still very much in the news, could’ve resulted in an uncontrolled, confusing presentation. But yours, as your Response Team argues, brought clarity and balance to the issues. You worked out a judicious arrangement of two slides for both sides of the argument, with all four slides bearing a similar number of argumentative points. So too, the issue of the pill’s side effects was laid out effectively, with appropriate research backup. I did have misgivings about the strength of your conclusion — your agreement with the Sibellius decision. That’s a fair Mediation, a judicious conclusion, but the point needed to be clearer. A or 95.