The topic of birth control and contraceptives has been red hot for years.  Trying to appease two groups so polarized in their views is always a challenge, and even when what appears to be a compromise is made, one of the groups will continue to complain that their side is still being underrepresented in the agreement.
Plan B is an oral contraceptive, more commonly known as “the morning after pill,” that is designed to prevent fertilization up to 72 hours after unprotected sex.  Up until a recent judicial ruling, Plan B has required a doctor’s prescription for women under the age of 18.  The new ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman, makes the drug available to 17 year-olds without prescription, and his decision will be reviewed further to determine whether or not to extend the ruling to all ages.  

The decision has energized Conservatives considerably.  They argue that girls will and already do use Plan B excessively to the point of making it their go-to, regular birth control.  Furthermore, they believe, should a doctor’s prescription no longer be required for underage girls, young ladies will actually feel some encouragement to become sexually active earlier and increase the number of sexual encounters at earlier ages.  

The Progressives celebrate the decision’s reversal as a judicial redirection back onto the road of sanity.  The instructions and information on the box explicitly say that the pill is not to be used as a regular birth control contraceptive. The Progressives have faith that girls will read and understand the gravity of the warning and will take the pill as specified, for emergency situations only.   They believe that by providing information about the product and its proper girls will be able to make informed choices about how frequently to take the drug—not by trying to police girls’ activities by limiting their options for handling the consequences.  

Women choosing to engage in sexual activities already implies a certain amount of calculated risk, as it is generally assumed we all know the true point behind the euphemistic “stork delivery” fable.  Once the drawers have been dropped, there is the undeniable knowledge that what just occurred can result in a baby and if further action is needed to prevent said baby, it should be available.  

The FDA acted as a middleman for the Bush Administration back when the first decision was made, Judge Korman made no bones about this fact in his review of the matter.  In his reports, Korman stated, “These political considerations, delays and implausible justifications for decision-making are not the only evidence of a lack of good faith and reasoned agency decision-making,” he wrote. “Indeed, the record is clear that the FDA’s course of conduct regarding Plan B departed in significant ways from the agency’s normal procedures regarding similar applications to switch a drug from prescription to non-prescription use.”  Clearly this departure has now been addressed, leaving the FDA’s knuckles stinging but without permanent damage.

It is the dawn of a new era, a more progressive era that believes in the power for girls to weigh their options and take control of their bodies without paternalistic laws restricting their freedoms.  Checking and balancing important decisions is how this country was intended to keep running smoothly and most fairly.  If Korman was a watchdog, he certainly earned his bone.