AP:Morning-after pill popular but under pressure

[heyholetsgogrant]

Updated: 2 hours, 31 minutes ago

NEW YORK - In the year since it was approved for over-the-counter sales, the morning-after pill has become a huge commercial success for its manufacturer, but its popularity and solid safety record haven’t deterred critics from seeking to overturn the milestone ruling.

The pill, marketed by Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. as Plan B, was the focus of bitter debate for three years. After repeated delays, the Food and Drug Administration declared on Aug. 24, 2006 that customers 18 and older should be able to buy it in pharmacies without a prescription.

Barr began distributing the over-the-counter version last November, and all national pharmacy chains now stock it. The company projects that sales of Plan B will total about $80 million for 2007, almost double the total for 2006 and up eightfold from 2004, when Barr acquired the product as a prescription-only drug.

“Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the acceptance,” said Barr spokeswoman Carol Cox. “The product may not be for everyone — but if you find yourself in a position to need it, absolutely it should be available.”

Despite the booming sales, and evidence that the pill is safe if properly used, critics remain active.

Applying political pressure

A coalition of conservative groups, including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington seeking to reverse the FDA ruling. The groups contend that the FDA acted unwisely under political pressure and lacked authority to approve the same drug for both over-the-counter and prescription-only distribution based on the user’s age.

“Barr may be making a healthy profit, but women are paying the price,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, who believes Plan B is less effective than its backers assert.

Barr says Plan B, a high dose of a drug found in many regular birth-control pills, can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

Since the FDA ruling, there have been extensive efforts by advocacy groups and some politicians to ensure widespread availability of Plan B.

Source: AP/MSNBC

Full Article Click Here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20394494/

[Bounce]

Some critics — including Roman Catholic leaders — consider the pill tantamount to abortion

Wow. Do these people even understand how the damn pill works?

[Mass_SkinsFan]

Bounce, I'm not a Roman Catholic by any stretch of the imagination; but for some of us it isn't a matter of HOW it works, but simply the fact THAT it works is the problem.

[Larry]

Wow. Do these people even understand how the damn pill works?

Uh, yes, they do.

One of the ways it works is by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall. (It's eventually expelled from the mother's body without her noticing it.) (This also occurs naturally in some cases.)

Because it "works on" a fertilized egg, and because (OK, I'm going to phrase things the way I, personally, think things are, as opposed to the way "they" want things to be phrased) because they've decided that the only way they can give the government the power it needs to do their bidding is to re-define humanity to grant "human" status to a single cell, therefore they claim that the pill works by causing an abortion.

[Larry]

Bounce, I'm not a Roman Catholic by any stretch of the imagination; but for some of us it isn't a matter of HOW it works, but simply the fact THAT it works is the problem.

Wow.

Here I was wondering how I could characterize the absolute ignorance of the people who have opposed access to this medicine for years, and Mass has already hit the nail on the head.

I thought I was going to have to invent a fictional person to express that position, because I figured the most of the folks who are behind this pressure would be smart enough to lie about their real motives.

Thanks, Mass. I agree with you.

[Ax]

If men got pregnant, the active ingredient of the pill would be available in a daily multivitamin for men. Think, Centrum Single Man multivitamin.

I'm glad it works, and glad it's reported to be safe.

[chomerics]

Wow.

Here I was wondering how I could characterize the absolute ignorance of the people who have opposed access to this medicine for years, and Mass has already hit the nail on the head.

I thought I was going to have to invent a fictional person to express that position, because I figured the most of the folks who are behind this pressure would be smart enough to lie about their real motives.

Thanks, Mass. I agree with you.

The only problem with this statement Larry is that he is the person you are talking about sans the deception :laugh:

[Mass_SkinsFan]

Wow.

Here I was wondering how I could characterize the absolute ignorance of the people who have opposed access to this medicine for years, and Mass has already hit the nail on the head.

I thought I was going to have to invent a fictional person to express that position, because I figured the most of the folks who are behind this pressure would be smart enough to lie about their real motives.

Thanks, Mass. I agree with you.

Ok, now you've got me quite confused here, Larry. Are you for or against access to this sort of lethal chemical?

All I was trying to say is that the actual medical/biological reactions that are caused by this chemical ****tail are really of very little importance to many of us. For us, it's about the idea that this pharmacutical provides a way for women to act in a generally immoral and unethical manner, ignore all the things they're taught about safe sex and STILL not have to face the consequences of their actions.

I won't say that there is NO place for this medication. However, I believe the "prescription" for it should be a completed and signed statement regarding the RAPE the young woman underwent to create the situation where she needs it. Other than that, she obviously made a series of decisions that she obviously now regrets. Maybe a couple weeks of terror wondering if her period is going to come, or the nine months of discomfort associated with a pregnancy will work as a deterent for some of these people. Unfortunately this medication takes those potential consequences away.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

If men got pregnant, the active ingredient of the pill would be available in a daily multivitamin for men. Think, Centrum Single Man multivitamin.

Ax, if men bore the children, humanity would never have been anything more than a blip on the timeline of history. We'd have ceased to exist within three or four generations.

[twa]

While I don't endorse it,I do find it a better option than abortion used as birth control.

I tend to favor responsible actions which negate the need for it ,but some situations and person choices have created the need unfortunately.

In defense of some of those opposed,many of them also oppose any form of birth control(even the natural methods) so at least they are consistent.

[Ax]

Ax, if men bore the children, humanity would never have been anything more than a blip on the timeline of history. We'd have ceased to exist within three or four generations.

I meant, "if men got pregnant too."

[Larry]

All I was trying to say is that the actual medical/biological reactions that are caused by this chemical ****tail are really of very little importance to many of us. For us, it's about the idea that this pharmacutical provides a way for women to act in a generally immoral and unethical manner, ignore all the things they're taught about safe sex and STILL not have to face the consequences of their actions.

I understand. You are the perfect spokesman for the large, powerful lobbying group in this country who think that sex should be illegal, but you don't have enough votes to make sex illegal, so your fallback position is to intentionally make sex as dangerous as possible. (And then claim that, since sex is dangerous, (because you've made it so), therefore you need more government power to regulate it.)

I understand the position perfectly.

I just assumed that I was going to have to express it.

[twa]

If you think the majority of them wish to make sex illegal you obviously DON"T understand perfectly.

[Ax]

While I don't endorse it,I do find it a better option than abortion used as birth control.

I tend to favor responsible actions which negate the need for it ,but some situations and person choices have created the need unfortunately.

In a perfect world, there would be no need for any form of birth control. But, it's not a perfect world. Not even close. I also favor the actions that would negate the need for birth control. I just don't see the chances of that ever happening as realistic.

It shouldn't be the preferred option. But it should remain as one, IMO.

[SUSkinsFan]

I understand. You are the perfect spokesman for the large, powerful lobbying group in this country who think that sex should be illegal, but you don't have enough votes to make sex illegal, so your fallback position is to intentionally make sex as dangerous as possible. (And then claim that, since sex is dangerous, (because you've made it so), therefore you need more government power to regulate it.)

I understand the position perfectly.

I just assumed that I was going to have to express it.

That sounds like Mass

[stevenaa]

Wow.

Here I was wondering how I could characterize the absolute ignorance of the people who have opposed access to this medicine for years, and Mass has already hit the nail on the head.

I thought I was going to have to invent a fictional person to express that position, because I figured the most of the folks who are behind this pressure would be smart enough to lie about their real motives.

Thanks, Mass. I agree with you.

Believing that life starts at conception is hardly a position of ignorance. Why don't you link all of the studies which have determined life starts at any particular moment past conception? Show me some real scientific work that has culminated in an answer to this age old question. Until you can do this, life at conception is no more and ingnorant position than is life at birth, or any time in between.

[Weganator]

I understand. You are the perfect spokesman for the large, powerful lobbying group in this country who think that sex should be illegal, but you don't have enough votes to make sex illegal, so your fallback position is to intentionally make sex as dangerous as possible. (And then claim that, since sex is dangerous, (because you've made it so), therefore you need more government power to regulate it.)

I understand the position perfectly.

I just assumed that I was going to have to express it.

I hate to tell you... but Mass is against pretty much any form of government anything... ... so that really doesnt cover his views...

I think all he is trying to say is that things like these take away the accountability from the actions of the younger people, and its raises a generation of people that dont know what possible consequences to the actions are because they are able to get away with something serious like this without having to learn from their mistakes...

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I understand. You are the perfect spokesman for the large, powerful lobbying group in this country who think that sex should be illegal, but you don't have enough votes to make sex illegal, so your fallback position is to intentionally make sex as dangerous as possible. (And then claim that, since sex is dangerous, (because you've made it so), therefore you need more government power to regulate it.)

I understand the position perfectly.

I just assumed that I was going to have to express it.

Actually you're pretty seriously over-stating the position on the subject, Larry. At least you're over-stating my position on it.

I have no problem with sexual intercourse, so long as it is practiced inside the proper moral and ethical guidelines. Sex is an enjoyable act and one that is absolutely necessary to the survival of the human species. Practiced inside the appropriate guidelines there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately our society has, in recent decades, removed those societal and moral guidelines from the equation.

I've always espoused the concept of Personal Responsibility, and in this case that's a very large part of why I am against the general availability of this medication. When people can act outside the proper moral and social guidelines of society and know that there will always be options to defend them from the consequences of those acts, what is there to enforce the guidelines?

My views on contraception depend greatly on the particular situation, so I'll leave the details out of this post. Suffice it to say that I am not completely against the use of condoms, oral contraception, or other things, but I also don't believe that they should be as prevelant or as easy to acquire as they currently are. Again it's not a matter of making sex "dangerous", but keeping it within those appropriate guidelines discusses above.

[Larry]

I think all he is trying to say is that things like these take away the accountability from the actions of the younger people, and its raises a generation of people that dont know what possible consequences to the actions are because they are able to get away with something serious like this without having to learn from their mistakes...

Now, see, there's the kind of double-speak that I expected to see in this thread.

The folks who live in a world where pregnancy is punishment for people who sin, and sex without pregnancy is somehow cheating the universe out of it's rightful vengeance.

Yep, what society needs is to make these evil kids get pregnant. That'll teach 'em.

(Have I got that right?)

[Mass_SkinsFan]

Now, see, there's the kind of double-speak that I expected to see in this thread.

The folks who live in a world where pregnancy is punishment for people who sin, and sex without pregnancy is somehow cheating the universe out of it's rightful vengeance.

Yep, what society needs is to make these evil kids get pregnant. That'll teach 'em.

(Have I got that right?)

Larry,

Maybe you're reading something different than me, but I don't see the double-speak you're talking about in that comment. I didn't see anything in there beyond a line of reasoning very similar to mine... that our moral decay in this country has led to a couple of generations of people who do not understand or accept the proper moral and ethical limitations for sex.

I definitely didn't see anyone discussing pregnancy as a punishment for improper sexual action. The reasons for avoiding improper sexual acts go well beyond pregnancy, including venereal diseases and the potential negative emotional impacts of transient sexual activities.

[Destino]

The only thing banning this pill would do is increase real abortions. I'm not a fan of abortion and I favor strongly limiting it's legal use... but on this issue I'm the opposite. Anyone opposing this pill loses my vote immediately. Options must be made available to women, because humans are victimized and do make mistakes. Also condoms break... it happens. This is a response to such a situation.

[SkinInsite]

Why don't we just ban condoms too.

[Ax]

Why don't we just ban condoms too.

Some would, if they could. I'm sure somewhere out there, somebody's hoping to get masturbation reclassified as voluntary manslaughter.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

The only thing banning this pill would do is increase real abortions. I'm not a fan of abortion and I favor strongly limiting it's legal use... but on this issue I'm the opposite. Anyone opposing this pill loses my vote immediately. Options must be made available to women, because humans are victimized and do make mistakes. Also condoms break... it happens. This is a response to such a situation.

I find it interesting that you're strongly for limiting abortions but against limiting access to this particular pharmacutical. Obviously there is a physical difference in the invasiveness and potential complications of surgical abortion rather than this pill, but on a moral & ethical level there's no difference. At least not so far as I'm concerned.

Why do all these options need to be made available to EVERYONE, Destino? Obviously there are a very limited number of circumstances where I've even said abortion is an acceptable option; but those circumstances are exactly that.... LIMITED. People do make mistakes, but they only truly learn from them when they're forced to endure the consequences of those mistakes. If there's a cosmic "Reset" button, what does that really teach them?

Why don't we just ban condoms too.

In certain circumstances and to certain people I'd be totally in favor of that idea.

[Popeman38]

I oppose the use of this pill. I oppose the use based on the decline of personal responsibility. The phrase "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime" used to mean something. Now, you don't have to think out your sex partners because you can go on down to CVS in the morning and pop a pill to make sure you don't have to take responsibility for what you did the night before. This pill is necessary because we have allowed the next generation to act before thinking, and then bail them out when the thoughtless actions have negative consequences. Just more evidence of the me generation and a sense of entitlement.