Emergency contraceptives in the form of the Morning After Pill may be easy to obtain over the counter due to a ruling by District Judge Edward Korman of New York. Korman’s ruling asked the FDA to make emergency contraceptives available over the counter to women of all ages, due to take effect immediately. In doing so, the FDA moved the age for the Plan B emergency contraceptive Pill from 17 to 15.
President Obama sought to avoid hoops and blocks to availability, including parental and doctor approval. Keeping in mind that Plan B is an emergency option only and not contraception per se, should parents dictate whether teens should have access to this emergency option? As we have seen, some parents don’t approve of any medical interference with their offspring. On the other hand, should parents have the final say for their minors or will a lack of privacy keep girls from utilizing the pill, thus severely limiting their choices when a pregnancy becomes viable months down the road?