DO they not charge 14 year old children as adults when it suits them? Im asking - Are they adults or not?

Although emergency contraception will now be sold (by those who will chose to sell it) to people (although most say "women") who can prove they are over 18 - It is still felt that those under 18 can not be trusted to take two pills 12 hours apart - (sarcastic?) - or more seriously - make such an important life choice.

SO, instead - lets give this 17 year old - who cannot be trusted to take 2 pills - or make a single life choice - the total and complete responsibility of the health, well being and support of a baby.

Reg, I can see your outrage, but I think it has more to do with a doctor being involved to advise the "child".

I am appalled that this type of drug is going to be available OTC. It shouldn't be used as "routine" birth control and SHOULD be prescribed by a doctor who has examined his patient and knows her medical history. I think a drug like this is way too dangerous in the hands of the "uninformed".

Then again, I truly believe most meds should be Rx... let the insurance companies pay for them... that's most likely the ONLY reason why this one is going OTC in the first place... so the big, wealthy insurance companies that run our lives don't have to pay for it.

nonsense!

That was never the concern of the FDA commissioner who held up this drug due to political/religious concerns, instead of the pure scientific and factual findings in front of him.
Once deemed 'safe' to be offered OTC, you open up the drug to a much larger audience, and you ultimately cheapen the cost of the drug. Also consider the need for timely use of the drug.
Much easier to walk into a drugstore and just purchase what you need, than first have to scramble to a doctor who then must prescribe the drug, isn't it? (not to mention the double whammy of paying the doctor and then the pharmicist)
I don't totally disagree with the age of purchase requirement (but clearly here it was applied as a placation to the conservatives who fought this thing), but then again, if a kid (under 18 ) has the maturity and the thought process to go to the drugstore in the first place, then they're more than able to follow the simple instruction and take care of themselves in this matter. And I'd trust them more to take this route than to take the "let's raise the baby" route at their age!

Do the insurance companies like OTC drugs? I would tend to think yes, since they seemingly get off the hook. But don't think that by keeping the drug as a 'prescription' the drug company would just pay with no cost to you. First, they can choose to not cover the formulation, and secondly, they can certainly increase your premiums to cover their expense. No free ride with insurance, so 'sticking' it to them is just a vicious cycle.

In this case, the drug company will ultimately get a wider audience by going OTC, and will reap more profits. You as the consumer will shoulder the full cost (unless you have some form of OTC coverage or Flex Spending account), but the alternative might have been NO drug available at all... which also becomes the decision for many drug companies if a drug doesn't promise a good ROI. No, this was a win for the drug company and for the spectrum of the public that will find immediate use for this product, and for the pro-choice agenda as well (which I wholly support, in the interest of full disclosure!)

I'm with Arnie on this one.

"I think a drug like this is way too dangerous in the hands of the "uninformed".

Terrie - Do you have any idea of how many deaths by overdosing on Tylenol there are per year? Taking too many Tylenol over the course of a short time can shut down your renal system doing irreversable damage. I saw it weekly in the ER. Do you think Tylenol should be kept out of a 14 years old's purse and kept in the hands of the "informed" too? Or should we start at the beginning and teach (and accept) responsibility for our actions.

I appreciate the candor, on both sides of the issue...but no one seems to have gotten where Im coming from - I am totally against abortion. I (and JohnC) have - as recently as 6 months ago, attempted to talk an 20 year old out of having an abortion by offering her housing, (our house) and as liberal contact with her baby as she wanted while she finishes college - while we did the full time parenting.

EC isn't better than abortion or the almighty "abstainance". But it should not be controlled by anyone other than the user. Imagine legislative abortion? - like in China - or Legislative abstainance!!! (Imagine?) My objection - what gauls me - is the righteous that wants me to conform to their way of thinking..while I'm busy fighting all day for their rights of speech and behavior. (along with mine).

EC isnt any better. Education, quality of life, equality, teaching a person self worth...is where we have to start. So kids don't get raped. So people don't sell themselves (or are put in a position to have to sell themselves). For the abused wife, who's health is impaired by carrying yet another forced pregnancy. We need men to think enough of themselves to be able to share honestly with the woman who cares for them so that they don't need to persue reckless alternatives. We need kids to value and learn respect, not only of their parents, but their peers and themselves. We need healthy, strong woman who are not affraid to speak for the ones that are still oppressed. That's what would be better.

But until we get there...I want to be able - and I want my 17 year old and even my 15 year old - to not be violated a second time by some self loathing pharmacist looking down his nose at someone who has "found themselves" in need of EC.

I'm looking at this from a medical pov... those with high bp, bleeding problems, etc. And yes I know that any analgesic can cause kidney and/or liver problems... and death. I know a teenager who tried to commit suicide by ODing on Tylenol.

It just scares me that nowadays with so many things going OTC that one day there will be a big enough lobby to get antibiotics OTC... wow, what a frightening thought

I'm not pro-abortion, nor am I a pro-lifer. It's too hot an issue for me to decide one way or the other... I think each situation is different, unique and up to that one person... in my case, as ill-advised as it was from all pov, I chose to keep the baby. Would I want my 15 year old to do the same? Probably not. But I would want her doctor to make sure that this particular drug was a safe choice for her, given her medical history. That's all I'm saying.

I know some one who tried to commit suicide with asprin when they were a teenager. They're in their fifties, now. I told him that he was trying to commit an ulcer (attempted injection of levity)! Actually, a very large majority of people who I know at least contemplated suicide when they were tenagers, myself included. So, if you're going to have that as a reason for regulation, then maybe you should regulate everything else that could be used to commit suicide. Let's see...that would include ... ummm .... almost everything! You can even drink enough water to kill yourself! I think warning labels should suffice. Oh, oh! That'll give the label and sticker industry lobbyists a foot hold, won't it?

If you're worried about your kid, then take her to a doctor and find out if it would be safe beforehand, whether it's needed or not. Or council her to get informed/see a doctor beforehand herself. Push for more (and more complete) sex ed in the schools, which seems to be another problem with "conservative Christian, right-wing Republican, straight, white American(s)..."

Waaaayyyy back when I was a young lad attending college (early '70s), I was seeing a woman whose mother took both her and her younger (high school aged) sister, when they came "of age" (hormonally, that is), to their doctor to not only make them aware of birth control but to practice it as they and their doctor saw fit. She (the mom) figured that they were going to have sex with or without her knowledge and that they should be able to make informed and safe decisions as a family and/or individuals. Wow, what a concept! Inform people and let them choose!

not just inform, but to have open dialogue with your kids (on any number of subjects)!

This is part of the solution, taking responsibility to talk to your kids, and to communicate with them. Then their decisions become informed decisions, and you're part of the process...

I don't understand how a person can vacillate between choice and no-choice... How do you justify NOT allowing an individual to ultimately have a say in matters that affect their own bodies?
And just to really stir the pot: don't toss out to me anything about the 'choice' of an unborn fetus... it's connected to the woman, and is thus part of the woman, and thus all decisions are already made by the woman, and so it has to be the woman who decides (hopefully in concert with her partner) ultimately what the best course of action needs to be for her and her body and all that it contains!
Do you (as reg & John did) want to campaign for women to avoid abortions? Fine. I have no problem with that. That's still choice. Swaying opinion and trying to promote certain lifestyles is okay. It's governmental interference that is the issue.
Don't take my rights away, feel free to convince me what my choice should be!
okay, my mini-rant is done...

I think some of my comments weren't said in an easy-to-understand manner here on the boards... I was merely pointing out that I, too, know of folks who have tried to use Tylenol as a suicide means... agreeing with Reg that it can be a dangerous drug.

As for sex-ed, I'm very much in favor of it... and especially from parents. When I was a teen, my mother would habitually go through my pocketbook, bookbag and drawers to find birthcontrol pills... and throw them away!

I see all those 13, 15 year old kids who are having kids and it disgusts me! And I see these college kids throwing newborns in dumpsters... wealthy, educated kids!

But any medication that messes with the ovaries, or causes a "next day" abortion is dangerous to the woman and that's why I think a doctor should be involved in at least examining the woman before she can buy the drug. It would be abominal for just one woman (girl) to use a pill that causes abortion (next day... next month) and ends up bleeding to death because she has some underlying medical issue she didn't know about.

While I applaud every effort to avoid bringing more unwanted babies into this world (especially by teen moms), or helping them to find good caring prospective parents for their child, ... I am more concerned for the safety as a whole of these teens and women. Which is why I don't think this drug should be OTC.

So actually, your issue is with the FDA, and your reluctance to accept their (and the science behind their) findings that the drug is apparently safe and effective enough to qualify as OTC, as opposed to being controlled by prescription.
Quite obviously (to adults at least), ANY drug, OTC or not, can be abused, or can have adverse effects. Most are labelled with their contra-indications, and it is up to the consumer to be aware and READ THE LABELS. And again, it's up to the parents to talk with their kids about their handling/use of ANY drugs! So, will plan-B lead to bleeding deaths of youngsters... I hardly think you'll find many cases, if taken as directed... The drug would never have gotten this far if it had such after-effects when used properly. Will a 15 year-old girl use it properly? It depends on how mature she is, and how well her parents raised her, and how smart she is. Actually, that kinda goes for ANY person of ANY age, don't it?
The girl who has the smarts and maturity to go to the counter and request the plan-B is more likely to have a successful course of treatment I would think. And is more likely to have knowledge of any underlying health issues she already needs to consider before taking such a treatment. Bottom line though, you pop a pill, you take a calculated risk, be it plan-B or tylenol or cough syrup!

now excuse me, i need to find my maalox

There's a fine line between "discussing" and proselytizing. A religious fanatic will more than likely think that they're "informing" me that I'm going to Hell if I don't find Jesus. The same can be said of both sides in the "right to" camps. I guess it would depend on the people involved. Personally, I think that every high school should have Planned Parenthood counselors. But I don't have any kids and ain't lookin' fer Jesus so, what do I know?

I'm with Arnie on the safety concerns here. Yes, there are probably risks, but there should be plenty of warnings contained with the product. But what about getting pregnant? There's a hell of a lot of risks there and not one warning label! Golly! What to do?

Well, in my humble opinion, you can't depend on the parents to inform the kids about anything. Some do but most probably don't or, if the do, they do a suck ass job of it. That's why we have mandatory education (at least until the age of consent), because most parents either didn't educate their kids or sucked at it. Yes, I'm over-simplifying here, but so what! The point is that most kids are totally uninformed and while you may inform your kid(s) about sex, birth control, childbirth, etc., most people don't even go there and, like education, you can't depend on them to. So, I say put P.P. counselors in the schools and make planned parenthood and sex education a mandatory part of the curriculum. And if there's a relatively safe alternative to clinical abortion/childbirth then, by all means, let it be available. Otherwise you'll continue to have more babies in dumpsters, more flushed fetuses, more back ally abortion injuries/deaths, and/or more lives screwed up by unwanted or unprepared for pregnancies/children/abortions.

In what may or may not be a related story, yesterday police in Groton, Connecticut received a 911 call from a pay phone. The woman on the line claimed to have heard the cries of a baby coming from an abandoned car. She gave the location but little else. The responding officers found a cardboard box containing a newborn (or recently born) baby in an abandoned car that had the windows smashed out of it (presumably some time ago before the child was left there). Fortunately, this white male infant is in good condition and is now in state custody. The police are continuing to look for the mother.