Last Friday, a federal judge ruled emergency contraceptive to be available without a prescription and without an age limit. Levonogestrel pills, known by brand names Plan B or Next Choice or the “morning after pill,” work by preventing fertilization and are 85 percent effective if taken 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.
According to webmd.com, “Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary. It may prevent a sperm from fertilizing the egg. If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work and pregnancy proceeds normally.”
The morning-after pill should not be confused with mifepristone, or RU-486 – the abortion pill. Mifepristone blocks the production of progesterone and empties the uterus during a pregnancy; the morning-after pill works to prevent pregnancy.
The morning-after pill does provide another option to avoid unwanted pregnancy but offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases. The availability of the morning-after pill may be a victory in the eyes of some for women’s health, but we think the most important issue driving the need for limitless emergency contraception has been overlooked. According to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, Mississippi has the highest rate of unwanted pregnancy in the country. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Mississippi does not require sex education in schools; but if taught, sex education must track closely with the federal definition of abstinence-only education. The CDC study shows 59 percent of high school students in Mississippi are sexually active and only 67.2 percent of sexually active students used a condom the last time they had sex. The study also shows the national rate matches the state rate in estimated rate of adults and adolescents newly diagnosed with AIDS in 2007: 15 adults per 100,000.
Little to no sex education in the same state with the highest unwanted pregnancy rate in the country speaks volumes of the need for proper sex education. These statistics tell us abstinence-only sex education does not work. While abstinence does ensure 100 percent protection from pregnancy, as well as sexually transmitted diseases, the lack of a complete sexual health education reflects these startling statistics.
The federal government should pass a law requiring all schools to teach proper sex education and awareness if it passes a law allowing the morning-after pill to be available without a prescription and with no age limit. With a proper sexual health education at an early age, the need for emergency contraceptives could be eliminated.