Plan B easier to swallow

The local drug story carries over-the-counter remedies for almost every unwanted condition imaginable, including one for unwanted pregnancy.

Since the FDA decided to allow Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, to be sold over the counter in December 2006, women can purchase the pill from the aisles of the drugstore just as easily as they can pick up a bottle of ibuprofen.

Since the FDA's decision, organizations such as the South Carolina Emergency Contraceptive Initiative have been campaigning to promote and educate young women about the use and availability of Plan B. The Initiative, which is a partnership of New Morning Foundation, was founded five years ago to help prevent unplanned pregnancies. As a South Carolina-only focus group, the Initiative seeks to target young women between the ages of 16 and 25, focusing more however on the Columbia, Greenville, Spartanburg and Charleston markets.

Because there are so many females who are unaware of the pill and its effects, the Initiative works with health care providers and OBGYNs to inform young women and increase public awareness of the use of Plan B, commonly called "the morning-after pill."

Bonnie Adams, Executive Director of New Morning Foundation, said there has been a great deal of confusion between the morning-after pill and the abortion pill, RU-486. "Our campaign is totally focused on the progestin product, Plan B, that the FDA just approved in August, which is not an abortion pill and cannot cause an abortion," Adams said.

The difference between the two pills is that RU-486 can kill a fetus if a woman becomes pregnant; Plan B cannot. Research shows that Plan B is harmless and has some of the same hormones as any other form of birth control. The pill is designed to prevent pregnancies by either stopping the sperm from reaching the egg or preventing ovulation from occurring.

Although the pill is supposed to be used for preventing pregnancies, there are some who believe that it could also cause young women and men to become more promiscuous, especially since it is now available over the counter.

"I do think that the pill might become almost like an excuse for people to engage in more sexual activities because it's very convenient," said a C of C sophomore who wishes to remain nameless.

Graduate student George Howell agrees. "I think that it makes sense for it to be over the counter because with a prescription, you may not be able to get it as a morning-after pill," Howell said. "But I think that it's going to lead to younger people having more promiscuous sex since they won't have to deal with the responsibilities because of the ease of being able to get the pill."

According to Adams, research shows that 50 percent of high school students will engage in some kind of sexual behavior before their junior and senior years. Because of this, the Initiative also works to educate those who are already sexually active.

"We know that while we have a responsibility to promote abstinence, we also have a responsibility to give sexually active young people all the contraceptive information that they need to protect themselves from an unplanned pregnancy," Adams said. "We see this as a very important strategy to lessening the amount of abortions that young people receive in our state."

Whether the pill will increase promiscuity, some students still think the Initiative's purpose in promoting the pill and raising awareness is positive.

"Having it over the counter means getting it faster," said junior Julie Goodman.

Freshman Kyle Rees also said that selling Plan B over the counter is a great idea, but he said that it should be used along with regular forms of birth control pills, not as a substitute.

Plan B is only 89 percent effective and must be taken within 120 hours of having unprotected sex. Officials with Planned Parenthood do not recommend taking the pill more than three times in a year, however. And although the pill is sold over the counter, it is required that those under the age of 18 have a prescription to receive it. "I hope that eventually they will move the under-18 restriction as those are often the people who most need Plan B to prevent unwanted pregnancies," C of C Health Counselor Laura Lindroth said.

Lindroth also said that even though Plan B has been made accessible over the counter, the Student Health Service cannot sell the pill because it requires a pharmacist to distribute it. But she said that students can get the morning-after pill at local pharmacies and the County Health Department. The prices range from $25 to $40.

Like the Initiative, the Women's and Gender Studies Program at C of C also educates students about Plan B. Professor of Women's Studies Julie Jacobson said that the department does not advise people to purchase or use Plan B, but it does want people to know about all the different forms of birth control available. "Anything that improves options for sexual health and freedom and liberation for women is positive," Jacobson said.