Plan B obfuscation

The Washington Post has a story today about Plan B pills. Not surprisingly, in the year since the FDA approved their use without a prescription by women 18+, the use of these pills has spiked. Also not surprisingly, certain segments of our society, largely the same ones which would rather see embryos thrown in incinerators than used for potentially life-saving stem cell research, are up in arms.

"This is very concerning," said Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council, which is among several groups suing the FDA to reverse the decision. "We think this is putting women's health at risk."

Exactly how does the pill put a woman's health at risk? Yoest doesn't say. The FRC web site has a list of reasons they oppose the use of Plan B pills, but only one of them is a legitimate health concern:

Birth control pills, which are essentially a lower dose regimen of Plan B, require a prescription. They are not available OTC. They require an appointment with a licensed clinician to determine contraindications, obtain a prescription, and provide for medical oversight throughout the usage period.

"Birth control pills are available by prescription only for sound medical reasons: They can cause significant or life-threatening conditions such as blood clots and heart attacks. Birth control pills are contraindicated for women with diabetes, liver problems, heart disease, breast cancer, deep vein thrombosis, and for women who smoke and are over 35. A medical exam is necessary to ensure that none of these contraindications exists. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.85 million women of reproductive age (18-44) have diabetes; approximately 500,000 do not know that they have the disease."¹

The OTC status would increase access to Plan B to larger populations of women, including women who have not been screened for contraindications.

Unfortunately, this argument is flawed:

1. Yes, birth control pills can cause problems for some women with some health issues (typically blood clots, heart problems). This is made clear on the packaging. Which leads us to ...

2. Many over-the-counter medications with similar issues are sold. There is nothing unique or special about Plan B pills in this regard. Any over-the-counter medication can be misused.


What, in fact, are the general health risks for users of Plan B pills? According to Michigan State University, these include:

Some women experience temporary side effects after taking Plan B. Approximately 23.1 percent of women taking Plan B experience nausea (compared to 50.5 percent with the older Yuzpe regimen of high-dose estrogen-progestin pills), and 5.6 percent vomit (compared to 18.8 percent). Other side effects may include lower abdominal pain (17.6 percent), fatigue (16.9 percent), headache (16.8 percent), dizziness (11.2 percent), breast tenderness (10.7 percent), and menstrual changes, including heavier bleeding (13.8 percent) and lighter bleeding (12.5 percent).

Most women won't see any of those effects. For just about any woman using Plan B, suffering the above effects is well worth it to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. None of the above would be considered a "serious" health concern.

Most opponents of Plan B, such as the FRC, don't really give a rat's ass about any "health concerns" for woman. What they really are concerned about is abortion ... and they see Plan B usage as being (potentially) the equivalent of an abortion. They know that argument won't fly with the general populace, though, so they are forced to fall back on those old standbys -- obfuscation and fear-mongering.