The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging all pediatricians to prescribe the morning-after pill (Plan B) to ALL post-pubescent girls, no matter how young, so that the girls don't have to give any thought to the consequences of sexual activity. The Academy says this will reduce unwanted pregnancies by eliminating the delay of obtaining a prescription AFTER sex.
Yet, most girls fantasize of being a virgin at marriage.
For background, read Teenage Girls Need More Risk-free Sex, Doctors Say and also read Schools Secretly Give 14-year-olds Morning After Pill as well as Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of School and consider that Planned Parenthood Lures Teen clients via Texting
Who do these sexperts think they're helping? Sexualization of Kids Doesn't Yield Self-worth
UPDATE 12/3/12: American College of Pediatricians warns access to abortifacients doesn't lower pregnancy rates of teens, but rather increases sexually transmitted diseases
-- From "Doctors urged to prescribe teens Plan B before they have sex" by Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times 11/26/12
The academy is issuing the new position paper, published online Monday by the journal Pediatrics, as physicians and other health experts struggle to reduce the nation's high birthrate among adolescents.
The birthrate among Americans ages 15 to 19 dropped 44% between 1991 and 2010, to 34.3 births per 1,000 women, the CDC reported.
. . . nearly 80% of teen pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, occurring after unprotected sex or "underprotected" sex — when the contraceptive method of choice fails. [But, was the SEX "unintended?" What are the possible consequences of having sex?]
Emergency contraceptives like levonorgestrel, if taken within three to five days, can prevent pregnancy by stopping the ovary from releasing an egg or by stopping sperm from fertilizing an egg. The drugs are also thought to change the uterine lining, thwarting a pregnancy that might otherwise take hold, according to the National Library of Medicine. [In other words, aborting a fertilized egg.]
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Prescribe morning-after pills in advance, say pediatricians" by Sharon Begley, Reuters 11/26/12
The most common form of emergency contraception is a high dose of a regular birth-control pill such as Plan B and Plan B One-Step from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd or Next Choice from Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. They generally sell for $10 to $80 and, although they can work as long as 120 hours after unprotected sex, are most effective in the first 24 hours.
A 2006-08 survey found that 14 percent of sexually experienced girls had used emergency contraception, up from 8 percent in a 2002 survey. The most common reason was condom failure, but 13 percent of the girls said it was because of rape.
"It's just common sense that requiring a prescription is a barrier," said Bill Alpert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "If an august and respected medical group like AAP is suggesting providing emergency contraception to minors is OK, that is a big deal."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP: Teach Teens About Emergency Contraception" by Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today 11/26/12
The [American Academy of Pediatrics] policy statement recommended three methods of emergency contraception, including levonorgestrel (Plan B), ulipristal acetate, and the Yuzpe method, which involves use of combining oral hormonal contraceptives.
Plan B requires patients to take two 0.75 mg levonorgestrel tablets 12 hours apart or a single 1.5 mg dose, which may be "equally effective and without increase in adverse effects." The drug is contraindicated in patients who are known to be pregnant and may cause adverse events of nausea, vomiting, and heavier menstrual bleeding. Patients should take a pregnancy test if they do not have a normal period within 3 weeks of using Plan B.
Ulipristal is a single pill (30 mg) that prevents binding of progesterone and should be taken within 120 hours after unprotected sex. Adverse events include headache, nausea, and abdominal pain. Patients with existing pregnancy should not take ulipristal due to risk of fetal loss, and use may require a pregnancy test. Patients with severe abdominal pain 3 to 5 weeks after treatment should be evaluated for ectopic pregnancy.
The Yuzpe method requires patients to take two doses of at least 100 µg of ethinyl estradiol and at least 500 µg of levonorgestrel and can be useful for patients with "no or limited access to an emergency contraception product." Though the use is considered off-label, the statement noted that the combination oral contraceptive use has been declared safe and effective.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP says teen girls should get the morning-after-pill before they need it" by Dr. Claire McCarthy (posted at Boston Globe) 11/26/12
. . . along with telling [kids] to take vitamins, we should be giving them a prescription for Plan B.
I’m not saying that babies aren’t wonderful [but] . . . Having a baby as a teen throws school, college, graduate school and getting a good job into jeopardy.
. . . Studies show that having a plan B prescription ahead of time makes teens more likely to use it when they need it (many teens delay getting in touch with the doctor, especially if they might have to tell a parent)—and it doesn’t make them more likely to have sex or less likely to use regular contraception. [Really?!]
I know this will make a lot of parents uncomfortable.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Abstinence Education Yields Lowest Teen Birth Rate Ever as well as Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works: Study
