Letter: Docs: Girls need morning-after pill
The Obama administration's top health official overruled her own drug regulators and stopped the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms. The Food and Drug Administration was preparing to remove the age limit yesterday and allow younger teens, who today must get a prescription, to buy it without restriction. That would have made Plan B the nation's first over-the-counter emergency contraceptive, a pill that can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex. The FDA was overruled, deciding that young girls shouldn't be able to buy the pill on their own, especially because some girls as young as 11 are physically capable of bearing children. (Dec. 10, 2011) Credit: AP
My organization strongly disagrees with the Newsday editorial that lauded restricting Plan B morning-after pills to people age 17 and older ["Decision on Plan B is the right one," Dec. 9]. This will result in unwanted pregnancies in young teens.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine have all denounced the decision of Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to limit Plan B. Those older than 16 can still purchase the pill outright, but anyone younger needs a prescription. Her decision seems politically motivated and not in the interest of public health. Emergency contraception can safely and effectively prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of unprotected sex.
Young teens frequently do not plan sexual activity or pregnancy prevention, yet they are reluctant to come forward after unprotected sex. The negative impact of teen pregnancy includes greater risk of poor or absent prenatal care, higher risk of child abuse or neglect, low birth weights, poverty and behavioral disorders in children and greater risk of dropping out of high school among teen parents. The burden on the family is often shifted to grandparents.
We know that choosing to abstain from sex is the surest way to avoid unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. While sexually active teens should obtain reproductive health care, confidential care is not always accessible. Social responsibility dictates that if young teens cannot easily access confidential health care and contraceptives, then they should have access to pregnancy prevention when condoms fail or are unavailable.
While it is our collective responsibility to ensure that young teens act responsibly and safely, the collateral damage of this decision will be pregnancy for those youngest and most vulnerable teens who cannot advocate for themselves.
Dr. Marc Lashley, Valley Stream
Editor's note: The writer is vice president of the Long Island chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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