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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2005)
6 • t LAC KAMA t Priait February 16, 2005 Commentai Face Off: Student Poll Should the mornins after pill be sold without a prescription? Risky pill calls for consideration, Easy access needed to control population, decrease abortion rate advice from physician ■ • ■ ■ Do you thinks morningaftey should be avdk over the counts -5. Jacob Ray , Cassandra Mathiasen The Clackamas Print , The Clackamas Print There are many responsible choices for women to make when it , comes to choosing their preferred type of birth control. “Emergency contraception” will all too easily become “everyday contraception” if it becomes an over-the-counter drug. The so-called, “morning after” pill was originally meant as a type of last resort in case the chosen method of birth control happened to fail, not as an alternative form thereof, which is exactly what it would become if it were to be sold over the counter and readily available without a prescription. The “Plan B” pill has very specific time constraints and directions for use that make it all the more important that it be prescribed by a physician along with counseling on exactly how it should be taken. In a modem world where we overdose on cough medicine, it’s' far too risky to think that directions for use on the label of the package can suffice for professional instruction. Not only are there specific directions that need to be strictly adhered to when taking the morning after pill, but women also need to know the effects it will have on their bodies. According to www.4women. gov, emergency contraception func tions by stopping ovulation, fertilization and implantation of the eggs released by the ovaries. It has a wide spectrum of side effects, including extreme nausea, vomiting, and fever somewhat comparable to what oné would expe rience with a bad case of the stomach flu. It is a useful and needed drug, yes, but one that requires the direc tion of a health pro fessional. Were emergen cy contraception readily available without a prescrip tion, it isn’t hard to foresee a large increase in sexual ly transmitted dis eases. When it’s so incredibly conve nient to make a trip to the supermarket directly after, there will undoubtedly be many couples who find it easier to use condoms and other proper birth control methods less, if at all. In short, emer gency contracep Internet Photo tion needs to be avail able to everyone, with a prescription and proper counseling by a health care professional. This drug is a powerful one, and although it is a good safety net for safe-sex mishaps, it needs to remain just that. After all, it is the “morning after” pill, not the “every morning after” pill. Right now there is a heated debate whether to make the morning-after birth control pill, an emergency contraceptive known as “Plan B,” an over-the-counter drug without a pre scription for women age 16 and older. I don’t see why this is even a debate, it just makes sense that this should be over-the-counter. Let’s say a teenage girl has sex with her boyfriend and the condom breaks, but it’s the week end so she can’t get a prescription. Now there’s a good chance she’ll get pregnant. If “Plan B” were to be over-the-counter, she could’ve just went to the drug stpre and everything would have been fine. Now, there’s just another teenage parent. According to CNN.com, from Feb. 1, 2003, to Feb. 1, 2004, there were 2.1 million unintended births in the U.S.; also, the U.S. population is currently growing at one percent per year. I think its time we did something for population control, and this might be one of the good things. “Plan B” can prevent pregnancy for up to 68 percent within 72 hours after sex. The sooner the pill is taken, the more effec tive it is. z Opponents argue that this drug would encourage women, teenagers in particular, to have risky sex. This may be true, but it’s a fact that teenagers are having sex. We need to accept it, and on top of educating them, we need to make the resources accessible. For those that oppose the morn ing after pill, because they believe that it is a method of abor tion, they should check their facts. It’s well known that the morning after pill does not affect those women that are already preg nant. It prevents fertilization but it does not ter minate the fetus after conception. The ques tion of when life begins, whether j at conception or I otherwise, is a | matter of opin- I ion, and to force one’s opinion on a general popu lation is wrong (that’s right, Internet Photo Geòrgie). By tak ing away this method of birth control, are we not encouraging women to have abortions? No matter what, if a pregnancy is not intended and if a woman does'not want to be pregnant, she will find a way to not be in that position. “Yes. I think for emergencji sons it would be a good ide Cristin Dean “N<x Anything that could ( an unborn child, I am again Donna Southwick t« K Want your opinion known? Write letters to the editor: E-mail oped@clackamas.edu or drop by Roger Rook 135 to give us a hand written letter; letters received will be printed in the next issue after being edited for grammar and clarity. Drew Russell “No. Because the weight« abortion should be more th« out.” Emily Jones be if there is no danger in it.' Michael Curry I This week's poll compiled by Amy Sandell and Brie Daykin. tte, CEA C K AMA Sp^nf 19600 S. Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 (503) 657-6958 ex. 2309 The C lackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is distributed every Wednesday except finals week. E ditor - in -C hief : Isaiah Creel C opy E ditor : James Tombe N ews E ditor : Ben Maras C ommentary E ditor : Shannon A d M anager : Ben Holm Arguello, Stephen Bostwick, D esign E ditor : Michaele Cooper Myque Obiero, Gregg S taff W riters : Frank Jordan, Radspinner, Ryan Richards, Cassie Màfhieson, Joe Piazzisi, Amanda Polopolus, Jacob Ray, Jadon Triplett, Katie Wilson, Laura Armstead Cameron, Christa Danielson, F eature E ditor : Karlin Johnson S ports C o -E dttors : Mike McCormack Jeremy Freid, Mike Guidice, Jason Pirtle, Amy Sandell, Kyle Slate, & Jeff Sorensen Elizabeth Tobey, Norma Martinez A&E E ditor : Hilliary Ferguson P roduction A ssistants : Jesse P hoto E ditor : JoÄ Gaynor Monica Gizowski, Madeleine Atwood P hotographers : Brie Daykin, Angela Gerhart, Stephen Hayes D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt D epartment A ssistant : Pat Lichen G oals : The C iackamas Print aims t report the news in an honest, tw ased, professional manner. II opinions expressed do not necess ily reflect those of the student to! college administration, .its fan» or The Print. E-mail comments I chiefed@dackamas.edu.
