Morning-After Pills for 15-Year-Olds
(Over the counter, no prescription, no parental consent)
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 31, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. On April 30th the office of Health and Human Services told women who work for religious-affiliated organizations their health coverage may involve two insurance plans. Their employer-provided plan would cover EVERYTHING but contraceptives, but no-cost contraceptives, including the morning-after pill, would be covered in a separate insurance policy NOT connected to their religious employer.
Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian organization, called the rule an “abortion pill mandate … that does nothing to protect many faith-based employers or religious families from the unconstitutional abortion pill mandate … and the government has no business … picking and choosing who is allowed to exercise faith.”
Mr. Bowman referred to the morning-after pill as Plan B that prevents pregnancy up to three days after unprotected sex or “Ella,” which is a prescription-only pill to prevent pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex.Nationwide, about 100 plaintiffs have filed 43 lawsuits against HHS for violating the rights of religious organizations. But this became an even bigger problem April 30th when U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ordered the FDA to make Plan B available over the counter to all women and gave the Obama administration until May 5th to appeal.
Addressing the absurdity of that decision, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America said: “It makes no sense that kids need parental permission to take aspirin at school, but they’re free to buy and administer … the morning-after pill [containing] 40 times the dosage of the same drug used in other … birth control. …The same women’s rights’ advocates who want every decision to be between a woman and he doctor are now eliminating the doctor, isolating young girls in situations that need adult guidance. If health officials continue to push women to make Plan B their Plan A, we have truly put politics and progress ahead of the health of women and, now, our kids.”
If your college student is attending Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, you might be interested to know there’s a vending machine installed in the college health center that dispenses the Plan B One-Step emergency contraception for $25. But, that won’t be necessary now, since anyone 15 or older can buy the same drug over-the-counter without permission from a parent or a doctor. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.