A U.S. District Judge actions today may mean within 30 days anyone, of any age, could buy the day-after pill.
Plan B, Next Choice… names used for the extremely controversial emergency contraceptive.
“I think it’s taking care of a problem, having kids young is obviously hard… I wouldn’t recommend it for anybody,” says
Chantelle Stebbins, who is 25 years old with two children.
“I think everyone should have the choice whether or not they should have a baby,” she continues.
A sentiment that U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York appears to share. Today, he overruled the 2011 Health and Human Service’s age restrictions for the over-the-counter day-after pill, saying the regulations must end within 30 days — calling current laws “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”
“If it looks close at all we’re going to ask for I.D.,” says Pharmacist Tim Lychlyter.
Right now, only women 17 and up can get the drug. At the pharmacy, they must first show I.D. If they’re younger than 17…
“We’re going to need them to get a prescription, they’ll have to go to a doctor,” he says.
Within 24 hours of sexual activity the drug prevents an egg from being released, stops fertilization, and may keep a fertilized egg from embedding in the uterus wall.
The nature of the pill is of heavy debate. Lychlyter brings up a simple parental concern to open availability.
“As a parent, I’de have a hard time with that. I wouldn’t want my daughter taking it without my knowing.”
As it stands, the regulations do help promote communication about sexual activity between youth and adults.
“Plan B shouldn’t just be used, it should just be used in an emergency,” says Stebbins.
Potential changes bringing up once more the moral, scientific, and political debates of this single pill.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.