The Washington Post Argument

Abstract: This paper explores the FDA’s decision of making the morning-after pill available over-the-counter for girls that are fifteen or older. Also, the views on both sides of whether or not their decision was a good idea. The articles from different news sources point towards both sides of the argument. This paper examines these articles, and the evidence that is shown in them. The different articles come from The Washington Post, CNN, and the FDA’s official website. I also found information about birth control from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The article from The Washington Post has information that is appropriate for both sides of the argument. Throughout my research I found a lot of good information to help me …show more content…
My opinion before doing my research was that this pill should only be available over-the-counter for women over the age of 18, and if they are younger it should require a parent’s approval. I also thought that they maybe should get a prescription. However, I later realized that it is not easy to get a prescription for something that has to be taken the morning after. Now that I have done my research, I am in the middle with both sides. I find myself agreeing with the different points that both sides of the argument state. I understand what both sides are trying to point out. I agree with the fact that the Plan B morning-after pill could reduce the amount of unintended pregnancies. The reason that I agree with it is because the pill is not much different from birth control pills. The only difference is that they take it after sex, instead of before. One thing I wonder about is if it is really that effective. It does, in fact, reduce the chance of pregnancy, but there is also a chance that it could not work. For example, there is always a little bit of a chance that birth control pills will not work. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Of 100 women who use the birth control pill each year, about nine may get pregnant on the combined pills and five will get pregnant on the mini-pills” (Birth Control Pill, 2016). I believe that the morning-after pill is quite similar in that statistic. I understand that the parents do not like the idea of it being available to their teenagers. It some situations, however, a girl might be too scared to tell her parents because they might be abusive or she knows she will get kicked out. It always depends on the way that the girl’s home life is. So, in certain situations, I believe that it is okay for them to be able to have access to the pill