Pro-life groups are not happy with today’s decision by a federal judge to allow sales of the morning after pill to teenagers, including girls of any age.
Anna Higgins, J.D., director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, expressed serious concerns regarding a federal judge’s order today that the “morning-after” pill be available to girls of all ages without a prescription.
“This ruling places the health of young girls at risk. Making Plan B available for girls under the age of 17 without a prescription flies in the face of medical information and sound judgment. I am very troubled that the court has not fully taken into account the concerns expressed by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and many public health advocates that there is not enough data on the health effects of Plan B on young girls,” she said.
“According to the new numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control, there were 19,700,000 new STIs reported in 2008 – the last year for which numbers are available. Based on the CDC’s estimates, that brings the total number of STIs in the U.S. to just over 110 million. Most of the new cases crop up in young men and women aged 15-25. Making Plan B available over-the-counter for any age will put many of these young girls at further risk because it circumvents necessary medical screening for sexually active girls,” she told LifeNews.
“There is a real danger that Plan B may be given to young girls, under coercion or without their consent. The involvement of parents and medical professionals act as a safeguard for these young girls. However, today’s ruling removes these commonsense protections,” concluded Higgins.
Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest noted that the business interests of Big Abortion were again at play as news broke of a federal judge allowing the so-called “morning after” pill to be sold to girls 16 and younger over the counter.
“This decision allows the abortion industry to gamble with young girls’ health in distributing a life-ending drug, with no real understanding of the long-term implications on their bodies,” said Dr. Yoest. “Equally troubling, this allows young girls pressured into sex or even abused by adults to be manipulated into taking pills that cover up what is a criminal act.”
“Young girls need medical supervision in taking such a potent and potentially life-ending drug,” said Dr. Yoest. “The implications for informed consent — and the long-term health impact on women of all ages — are deeply troubling.”
The pro-life women’s group Susan B. Anthony List also blasted the decision and the abortion lobby for seeking to expand access to these drugs without regard to the safety of young girls.
“Teen girls need parents, not unfettered access to abortion-inducing drugs,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. “Judge Korman’s decision is reckless and denies girls the protection that comes along with the involvement of parents and doctors.
“In 2011, President Obama and HHS Secretary Sebelius agreed that requiring a prescription for potentially dangerous drugs is common sense. We should not be making it easier for young girls to access abortifacient drugs that end life at an unknown consequence to the young girl herself. Abortion extremists like Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights who praised today’s ruling show a complete lack of concern for the health of teens and the rights of parents,” she told LifeNews.
But the Planned Parenthood abortion business is happy with the decision. Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, called the ruling as “a significant and long-overdue step forward for women’s health that will benefit women of all ages.”
“When a woman fears she might become pregnant after her contraceptive has failed or she has had unprotected sex, she needs fast access to emergency contraception, not delays at the pharmacy counter,” Richads said in a statement. “Lifting these restrictions will allow emergency contraception to be stocked on store shelves, making it more accessible to everyone.”
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One example that concerns pro-life advocates came when a teacher bought the drug for a student. This story tells about a high school math teacher who went to a Planned Parenthood and bought Plan B for a student not old enough to buy it herself.
Tracy Lee Steinberg, a 32-year-old assistant basketball coach and math teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Austin has resigned after she said she gave a 16-year-old female student two morning-after pills, or Plan B, when the student showed up in class crying in January after having unprotected sex.
