On April 30, the FDA lowered the age restriction to purchase emergency contraception from 17 to 15-years-old. The following day, a U.S. judge ordered to make the pill available to people of all ages. The Obama administration seeks to block the judge’s order, which will not affect the FDA’s earlier decision. The decision to lower or eliminate age restrictions for the purchase of the Plan-B pill has stirred controversy. 

by Mike Crooks ’14 Pro

The Food and Drug Administration announced April 30 that it would lower the age of the over the counter contraception known as Plan B One-Step from 17 and older to 15 and older. The announcement is an example of amending a law to satisfy modern times. The change is justified.

The reality is that todays’ teens are going to have sex. A 2002 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 45.5 percent of girls and 45.7 percent of boys had sex by age 19. One can infer that these percentages have only increased since then.

With it established that teenagers are going to continue to have sex despite the risks, the issue shifts to trying to reducing teen pregnancy. The pill will help to do just that. According to WebMD, Plan B can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex and up to 95 percent if taken within 24 hours. Teenage girls must understand, however, that Plan B is a “backup plan” meant to use at last resort and that the drug does not prevent the spread of STDs.

Lowering the age from 17 to 15 would be a large failure if young women stopped using condoms and other contraceptives because they figured Plan B kept them safe from STDs and left no chance for pregnancy. According to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, this is unlikely to happen, as “The data reviewed by the agency demonstrated that women 15-years of age and older were able to understand how Plan B One-Step works, how to use it properly, and that it does not prevent the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease.”

The potential success in lowering the age that Plan B can be purchased lies in the ability of 15-year-old girls to listen to their parents and health teachers when they say “be safe not sorry.” And statistics in the past few years suggest that they are practicing safe sex. The Guttmacher Institute reports that “In 2006-2010, some 86 percent of female teens and 93 percent of male teens reported using contraceptives at last sex,” a large improvement from previous years. All in all, 15 year olds are not dumb. Either their parents and health teachers are getting through to them, or they flat out have common sense. The fact that they are responsible enough to use contraceptives means that there are minimal risks in allowing them to purchase Plan B, and the potential rewards are more like inevitable rewards.

by Joy Zhang ’14 Con

The priorities of most teenage girls include school, friends and extracurricular activities. Sex should not be a topic that constantly dwells on their mind. However, lowering the age restriction to purchase the morning-after pill raises curiosity about sex. If the Plan-B pill is readily available to 15-year-olds, then one can also assume that a number of 15-year-olds are having sex as well. This makes sex seem like a norm for younger adolescents, which it shouldn’t be.

It is rash to make this pill available to kids at such a young age because the early teenage years are when adolescents are the most reckless. The availability of the Plan-B pill changes their perspective towards sex, making kids more careless and less inclined to practice safe sex. When giving younger girls the freedom to purchase the Plan-B pill, teenagers will be taking fewer precautions, like using condoms, because they will assume the pill will be an easy “quick-fix” to any problems that arise.

The result of not using condoms is an increase in the risk of contracting and spreading sexually transmitted infections/diseases. The issue of being negligent to practicing safe sex is seen in all age demographics. By giving 15-year-olds access to the Plan-B pill, the problem surfaces at an even earlier age.

A big flaw to the decision of lowering the age restriction is not opinion-related; it is a matter of technicalities. In order to purchase the morning-after pill, the buyer must present photo ID to prove that she is of age. However, most teenagers don’t have IDs until they are at least 15 years and nine months old, when they get their learner’s permit. It would be very difficult for a 15-year-old without a permit to confirm his or her age when attempting to purchase the morning-after pill.

If a young girl were to be in a situation where she needed the Plan-B pill, that would be a time when she requires adult guidance the most. It is inattentive to give a  15-year-old the burden of making such a big decision by herself.

The previous age limit to purchase emergency contraception was extremely appropriate. At 17, almost the age of a legal adult, most girls are mature and educated enough to make their own decisions. They will have gained the experience and knowledge that a 15 year old lacks after taking the required high school health class, which isn’t available to freshmen. The FDA shouldn’t have tampered with a good policy.