Abortion and Contraception News - Plan B Age Limit to Drop, Leading Abortionist Turned Pro-Lifer Dies

COMMENTARY | The pharmaceutical makers of 'Plan B' are trying to get minimum age limits eliminated for purchase of this "morning after" pill. They say girls of any age should have the right to buy it after unprotected sexual encounters.

Plan B can already be purchased over-the-counter by girls 17 and over. No doctor's visit is necessary. It is considered the primary form of "emergency contraception." No need for girls to tell anyone.

Okay, the white gloves are coming off. Forget the arguments of helping young girls avoid pregnancy from rape and incest. Those account for only 1.5 percent of all unplanned pregnancies. This is nothing more than another onslaught of money-making opportunists who wish to prey on the feelings of frightened young girls or promote early sexual experimentation.

It encourages girls not to confide in their parents or anyone else, not to see a doctor, not to report date rape or other events that happen out of poor judgment that gets them involved with older, seductive boys or men.

As if human trafficking hasn't gone far enough. People taking advantage of younger girls can give them Plan B to prevent conception (in short, it prevents sperm/egg fertilization or egg's attachment to uterus).

Plan B packaging includes disclaimers against using if already pregnant, and that it won't protect against STDs. But little girls may get a false sense of security and be more apt to experiment with casual sex.

Plan B assaults the body with hormones that aren't supposed to be there. A girl may not know she has allergies to the drug, or may not be prepared for the physical reactions that can occur. Side effects can include hives, inhibited breathing, swollen face, lips, tongue, or throat, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, stomach pain, extreme fatigue and even tubal pregnancy.

Pharmacists interviewed by CBS voiced hesitancy to sell Plan B to younger girls. But what can they do? Their "right of conscience" will soon be abolished by the Obama administration. If they want to keep their jobs, they'll be forced to sell Plan B along with the self-abortive drugs "Ella" and RU486 - from which women have died.

Well, what do abortion activists have to say for themselves now? These procedures can be conducted at home, and side effects incurred, without a doctor's supervision. Where is the "safe, legal abortion clinic" they fought so hard for in the 1970's?

In related news...

Dr. Bernard Nathanson passed away Feb 21. Nathanson was the co-founder of the abortion rights group NARAL. However, he spent the last 30 years trying to reverse the abortion trend he helped to start.

He had nothing to gain and everything to lose through his new pro-life campaign including books, interviews and videos. His reputation was often slandered by abortion rights activists who once considered him their hero.

Abortion was legalized in 1973. By the late 1970s, Nathanson was announcing he would no longer perform or support abortions because he had seen ultrasounds of unborn babies struggling during abortion procedures. He also admitted that he and others had embellished "back alley abortion" facts so that the government would listen to arguments for legalizing abortion.

Leading pro-choice activists accused Nathanson of becoming pro-life because he became a Christian. He did not turn to Christianity until 1996, and was formerly a self-proclaimed atheist of Jewish heritage.

Please see facts about the Bernard Nathanson story here and 'Plan B' here at Yahoo! News.

Sources:

"Dr. Bernard Nathanson dies at 84...", Elaine Woo, LA Times 2/23/11.

"A Herculean endeavor," Marcia Segelstein, World Magazine, 2/25/11.

"Plan B side effects," Drugs.com

"Morning-After Pill Maker Wants To Sell 'Plan B' Without Age Restriction," CBS2 New York, 2/23/11.