by the Way . . .

Plan B, the “morning after pill”, has been approved by the FDA for over the counter, well, under the counter, sales, without prescription, to persons 18 and over. Plan B has been available for many years, but the prescription requirement has effectively kept it off the market. We last visited this conundrum last November when the FDA postponed any decision because Dr. Galson, then director, decided that not enough girls under 16 had been asked whether they would be more likely to have sex if Plan B was available. Since then the struggle, involving multiple directors and many thousands of hours of top FDA management, which includes President Bush, has been over the age requirement. For the many reasons we will discuss, it turns out to be 18, which will at least keep temptation away from most high school girls.

Unfortunately the democrats injected politics into this complicated scientific issue. When Dr. Crawford was nominated last year to replace Galson as head of the FDA, Senator Clinton placed a legislative hold on the nomination until the FDA promised to make a decision by September 1 of last year. But once Crawford was in, the FDA announced further delays. Crawford resigned weeks later to spend more time with his family. Under the “fool me once” Senate rule, the nomination of his successor Dr. von Eschenbach (“Andy”) was again put on hold, this time until a decision was issued. Coincidentally the FDA has completed its study, so the hold proved to be unnecessary and will now be lifted.

Why 18? Dr. Andy says that is because that is the age used for nicotine and cold medicine. “This approach builds on well-established state and private-sector infrastructures to restrict certain products to consumers 18 and older”. This makes sense, given the established connection between sex and smoking after. But it also fits with some of the other common sense issues that have had to be resolved by the FDA.

First, there have been concerns about whether a high school girl could handle the requirement that the pill be taken within 72 hours, followed by the second pill 12 hours later. Think about this from a practical standpoint. The pill will be taken immediately, of course. This is not something you contemplate for a few days. Then, with the timing of most high school sex, given curfews and all, the teenager is going to have to get up early on the weekend, or at least before noon, to take that second pill in time.

And of course there is the original concern that some high school students might be more likely to have sex out of wedlock if Plan B was available. While the surveys got snickers and a lot of “like, what?” from the older girls, the fact that nobody went around asking grade school girls had to concern the no child left behind administration. And then there is the abortion issue. The pill proponents claim the pill will reduce abortions, while the pill poopers claim the pill is an abortion. How can we expect a 17 year old girl to take a position on that in the heat of the moment? At least an 18 year old is out of high school and can smoke if she wants to.

In a press conference President Bush announced “I support Andy’s decision”. This brave position was somewhat shadowed by the lack of a cute nickname for Andy, but that is understandable given the statement released by the Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer (Tommy Oot) of Human Life International. “Let there be no mistake about it. Today’s decision lies at the feet of President Bush and has created a lasting rift with the Catholic faithful….” The Onion also objected that the decision “undermines (the) attempt to turn America into the contraceptive-free utopia that is Africa.”

Note that boys who want to carry Plan B around in their wallet will also have to be 18 or over.