http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/11/27/pediatricians-org-prescribe-plan-b-to-teens-before-they-need-it Comments On: Pediatricians Org: Prescribe Plan B to Teens Before They Need It by Dan Savage en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 23:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Juniper Tree]]> Fri, 30 Nov 2012 14:32:06 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Bobulesca]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:11:17 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Siz]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:44:38 -0800 The Stranger Posted by framboise]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:09:50 -0800 The Stranger
IMO, sexually active teens should have free access to standard birth control and certainly to condoms. If they don't want a baby, they should definitely not be having one. As far as possible, they should also not have to take the morning-after pill, because of its side effects. Although, of the two options, an unwanted baby is (again, IMO) the worse outcome.
Posted by Megaera]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:07:56 -0800 The Stranger
Or, do we? "Taxpayers spend about $12 billion annually on publicly financed medical care for women who experience unintended pregnancies and on infants who were conceived unintentionally... we also estimate that taxpayers would save about half of this amount if all unintended pregnancies could be prevented."

$6 billion would buy one hell of a lot of Plan B.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers…
Posted by Backyard Bombardier]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:03:29 -0800 The Stranger
Private insurance - You should get what you pay for.
Public insurance - You should get what our taxes pay for but be respectful of the public trust.

Posted by Phoebe in Wallingford]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:40:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by sissoucat]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:24:47 -0800 The Stranger
Or maybe they just want more customers.

The morning after pill, and actually the birth control pill in general, is available without a prescription in many parts of the world with no significant negative repercussions, and making them readily available has been proven to decrease unintended pregnancies.

Or did you think that your doctor puts your welfare ahead of his or her paycheck?
Posted by keshmeshi]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:11:08 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Phoebe in Wallingford]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:52:09 -0800 The Stranger http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/tech_a….

These things can be taught - but if all we provide is lectures, stern looks, and boxes of condoms, there are going to continue to be unacceptable levels of teen pregnancy.
Posted by Backyard Bombardier]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:38:39 -0800 The Stranger
Just a little reality check for you:

Plan B is available OTC in Ontario, Canada. But what this means is that a box sits on the shelf in the drug store with a label saying, "See the pharmacist" because, as a $40 item, it's kept behind the counter to prevent theft.

And because it's OTC, it's not covered by any insurance plan. It's too bloody expensive, and it's almost always going to have to be the woman taking it who ends up covering the cost of this sex-related expense.
Posted by ignatz ratzkywatzky]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:13:34 -0800 The Stranger
Food is not medication, food is not healthcare.

Pharmaceuticals are.

The morning after pill is a pharmaceutical.

Health care covers medical needs, regardless of responsibility. Which is why you have no response to the examples I gave.

Are you able to follow that? Try to read it really slowly. Please do try to keep up with the conversation.

Posted by Theodore Gorath]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:08:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Phoebe in Wallingford]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:43:34 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by Phoebe in Wallingford]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:38:52 -0800 The Stranger
Or do you think the number of teenage dropout single mothers is satisfactorily high enough at the moment?
Posted by Dr_Awesome]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:36:12 -0800 The Stranger
If instead you mean the sympto-thermal method, which does have a very high success rate when used perfectly by women whose cycles are like clockwork, it is simply not practical for most people for many reasons. Teenaged girls usually have more unpredictable cycles than adult women, so I'd be surprised if any doctor recommended STM as a method of birth control for teenagers.

Follow-up to my previous comment, the studies also show that increased availability of Plan B doesn't increase sexual activity among teenagers, so the social conservatives might be arguing about nothing too.
Posted by DRF]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:32:19 -0800 The Stranger "Insurance is for accidents, illness, and horrible things that afflict humankind."

Hm. Well, an accidental pregnancy can be a horrible thing to an unprepared teenager. (Or adult, for that matter.)

"Safer chemical-free means and forethought should be the higher standard."

Yes, "forethought", one of the great strengths of the average teenager.


Posted by Backyard Bombardier]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:23:04 -0800 The Stranger Posted by wxPDX]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:11:35 -0800 The Stranger
Insurance is for accidents, illness, and horrible things that afflict humankind.

Also, no drug should be a default crutch for controlling procreation when safer chemical-free means and forethought should be the higher standard. That's a far heather disposition for a society regardless of any drug's social ramifications.
Posted by Phoebe in Wallingford]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:10:34 -0800 The Stranger
One the one hand, telling parents to take their kid to yet another doc appointment is a big behavioral barrier. On the other hand, it's possible that the gynecologists have a point about who is more likely to be able to weigh risk and reward about birth control.

On yet another hand, studies don't exactly show that increased availability of Plan B lowers the pregnancy rate or abortion rate. We might be arguing about nothing.
Posted by DRF]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:03:09 -0800 The Stranger
The reason insurance should cover it is because by decreasing the cost, the usage rate goes up, driving down the incidence of unwanted pregnancies, which are much more expensive to cover.

There is also a social benefit to having planned families, making birth control a great candidate for subsidy.
Posted by smajor82]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:30:41 -0800 The Stranger
Hey, no coverage for childbirth either...take some responsibility, and pay for it yourself if you choose to get pregnant.

Also, get in a car accident that is your fault? Sorry, pay for your own ER visit, you chose to drive that car, not the insurance company you pay premiums to!

Football player breaks his spine, insurance shouldn't pay for the rehab and surgery right? He chose to play football!
Posted by Theodore Gorath]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:21:22 -0800 The Stranger
On making the request, the patient will be subjected to questioning by the pharmacist, ostensibly to determine if the use of Plan B is appropriate (still within the window if it is effective). In reality, this can become far more intrusive/embarrassing than it needs to be, and can be a tool for pharmacists to deny the drug if they don't approve of the reasons for wanting it. Further still, some pharmacists simply refuse to stock it all, citing ethical or religious objections.

I argued in my paper that anything other than full OTC status for Plan B is an unreasonable barrier to women accessing this drug. (relevant, there are no adverse health consequences to taking Plan B even when it is not effective, ie, too late - so even if someone takes it who technically shouldn't, no harm). I do not believe pharmacists are legally entitled to refuse to dispense a drug unless there is another option for the patient such as another pharmacy (open and reasonably nearby) that will dispense it, however this still happens and is a huge problem in small towns where there isn't another pharmacy.

Given that we still have these issues even in relatively liberal Canada, advance prescription writing by sympathetic docs is one of the better stop-gap measures. Teens would be smart to not only get a prescription, but get it filled (to avoid finding out too late that the local pharmacist refuses to stock) and keep that pill handy just in case.
Posted by Canadian Lawyer]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:17:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Sargon Bighorn]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:13:39 -0800 The Stranger