Western Courier

Issue date: 9/7/05 Section: Opinion

When did fertilization become the worst thing in the world? If one considers that women have been giving birth to and rearing offspring for the past 1.8 million years and that the birth process is safer than ever, then there is no reason why women who are sexually active should avoid pregnancy as if it were the plague. There are numerous organizations dedicated to aiding women during and after pregnancy. No woman should have to feel incapable of either raising her child or allowing another family to raise it because of her age, marital status or financial situation.

The real dangers of unprotected sex are sexually transmitted diseases. Oral contraceptives do nothing to either treat or protect against STDs. If the morning-after pill is the only treatment a woman receives after unprotected sex, she is overlooking potential hazards that require a physician's expertise.

Perhaps those who oppose easier access to the morning-after pill are actually trying to discourage young Americans from unhealthy sexual behavior. Other medical groups say that a more accessible emergency contraceptive would decrease "about 3 million unintended pregnancies and 1.3 million abortions each year." However, these groups failed to say whether or not the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions had decreased in the seven states and 34 countries that already allow the pill to be sold without a prescription.

Because fertilization does not seem to be the real problem in the battle between the FDA and Barr Pharmaceuticals, a pill that prevents fertilization does not seem like a real solution.

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