Rules for Morning-After Pill May Come Soon

[Ian David]

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer 1 hour, 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - By month's end, federal health officials will decide whether to let women buy emergency contraception without a prescription — and if so, if the morning-after pill will be treated more like aspirin off the shelf or like cigarettes.

<snip>

Plan B contains a higher dose of the hormones in regular birth control pills. It cuts the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if used within 72 hours of rape, condom failure or just forgetting routine contraception. The earlier it's taken, the more effective it is. But it can be hard to find a doctor to write a prescription in time, especially on weekends and holidays. Hence the push to allow nonprescription sales here, just as in Britain and Canada.

If a woman already is pregnant, the pills have no effect. They prevent ovulation or fertilization of an egg; they also may prevent the egg from implanting into the uterus, the medical definition of pregnancy, although recent research suggests that's not likely.

Contraceptive advocates and doctors' groups say easier access could halve the nation's 3 million annual unintended pregnancies. FDA's own scientists call the pills extremely safe, used by more than 2.4 million Americans and millions more women abroad with few side effects. FDA's independent scientific advisers overwhelmingly backed over-the-counter sales in December 2003.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050809/ap_on_he_me/morning_after_pill

[Triana]

1. In other words it could prevent abortions...

...but that makes too much sense. I bet it'll be stopped by the "Pro-lifers" (ie: Pro-birthers) and bu$hit's regime.

[MaineDem]

BINGO

Thankfully it's available OTC here in Maine. The pharmacist may dispense it.

[AndyTiedye]

20. I Call them the "Forced Parenthood Movement"

since they want to ban abortion and birth control, and make no exceptions
for rape, incest, or anything else.

[E-Z-B]

2. Guess I'm a little slow today...

If the woman is pregnant, the pills have no effect. So how could it still be useful 72 hours later?

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Sometimes the little swimmers take longer to get where they're going.

or something....

FSC

[Bridget Burke]

4. Perhaps "slow" people are the offspring ....

Of the "slow" swimmers?

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. Hmmmm...

perhaps you're onto something! :think:

FSC

[PunkPop]

6. Sperm can be viable inside a woman for 2, 3, 4 days.

If ovulation occurs anytime during that period, an egg can be fertilized and pregnancy occurs.

[noamnety]

10. correction to your post

If ovulation occurs anytime during that period, an egg can be fertilized and pregnancy occurs a pregnancy may occur.

Fertilization is not pregnancy.

[PunkPop]

11. Roger.

Thanks.

[noamnety]

9. it works by preventing pregnancy, not stopping it.

The general schedule is that you have sex up to 6 days before or on the day of ovulation for an egg to get fertilized. It takes about 7+ days after that for implantation (pregnancy) to occur.

(Most fertilized eggs are flushed out with a woman's normal cycle without a pregnancy occurring.)

So you have that up to 6 day period to stop fertilization. And possibly some time to stop implantation.

[E-Z-B]

12. Ahh, I see. Thanks.

I didn't know those little guys could last that long in there.

[noamnety]

14. The part I like to remind the fundies about

is that the chances of a fertilized egg being flushed are DECREASED by taking this pill.

Every fertilized egg has a very good (better than 50-50) chance of being flushed away without implantation. If you view that as a loss of human life, if you think it's a great tragedy, than the only responsible thing to do is take the pill to prevent that fertilization in the first place.

[rodeodance]

17. they purposed lie and distort!!

[tammywammy]

19. Excellent retort

I'm going to steal what you wrote:

Every fertilized egg has a very good (better than 50-50) chance of being flushed away without implantation. If you view that as a loss of human life, if you think it's a great tragedy, than the only responsible thing to do is take the pill to prevent that fertilization in the first place."

Because, while some abhor the idea of a pill preventing implantation, they never address the fact that naturally not all fertilized eggs are implanted.

[Bassic]

16. Actually they usually dont last much longer than 24 to 48 hours

[tammywammy]

5. There will be an uproar from the hard core pro-lifers

They hate that there's a slim chance that if the egg is fertilized it would prevent implantation, and to them the fact that it prevents implantation = abortion. I think this would actually make their heads explode!

I think it'll be awesome if it actually goes OTC.

[PunkPop]

8. Only in Bush's America

where these fundie maniacs are actually taken somewhat seriously, would this even be an issue.

ATTENTION ALL DELUDED CHRISTIAN FANATICS:

THE MORNING AFTER PILL IS CONTRACEPTION.

IT IS NOT ABORTION. IT DOES NOT 'END' A LIFE YOU IDIOTS. IT KEEPS ONE FROM GETTING STARTED WHERE IT IS NOT WANTED.

[SoCalDem]

13. Rules or no rules, rich women will still have the options

poor women will not.

There will be many "vacations" to Mexico where the rich ones will be stocking up on the :kits"..just in case.. They may even be selling them to their friends.. Hey capitalism..just what the repubes love:puke:

[rodeodance]

15. each time they say they will make a decision, it is delayed. Politics

at its best!!!!! and the administration at the top of it.

[iam]

18. conservative devils

must have abortions occurring in the US or the wedge issue goes away and no more tax cuts for the wealthy.