About the morning-after pill...

[eyesroll]

OK, so the FDA decided it can't be sold over-the-counter because teens under 16 won't be able to use it safely without guidance from the doctor.

Yet.

Nyquil, which contains alcohol, is available OTC.
Flintstones vitamins, which look and taste like (icky) candy, but can cause serious health problems if eaten in excess, are available OTC.
Tylenol, which damages the liver if taken in excess, is available OTC.
Sleeping pills, which can make you sleep FOREVER if you take too many, are available OTC.
Laxatives, which can and often are used in conjunction with eating disorders, leading to organ failure, are available OTC.
Drain cleaner, which is toxic, is available OTC.
Hell -- actual POISON, that has "POISON" in big letters across the front, is available OTC in the form of rodenticides/isecticides.
And I don't see a sign near any one of these that says, "you must be this tall to purchase." (Your state or store may vary.)

Has "although these are generally safe drugs, and adults can figure them out fine, kids may not know what to do with them" ever been criteria for denying OTC sales -- of anything, really?

This is politics. Pure and simple.

[charlie]

1. ...and

at 16 she's not old enough to follow printed instructions on a medicine bottle, but she's old enough for motherhood?

[eyesroll]

4. Excellent point.

I do wonder what would have happened, had I gotten pregnant at 16.

I know -- now -- that if I had gone to my parents, they would have been super-pissed. I would have gotten not the yelling but the silently seething, "you are smarter than this, we're disappointed in you" lecture. In my house, the yelling was for the "you're being a brat"-type discipline, and the silently seething was "oooh, you really screwed up and you know it" lecture.

But you know what? Then, I would have gotten a lot of support. My parents probably would have gotten me into counseling, and supported whatever decision I made. They're both good people, and they brought us up well.

But, at the time, with the distorted view of their parents most teenagers have, I don't know whether I would have gone to them, or I would have gone to a clinic and had the whole thing taken care of. I feared the lecture, wanted to be all grown-up and independent, and frankly, I felt that telling my dad something like that might have just made something snap. (In retrospect, I know it wouldn't have.)

There are plenty of young women, though, who have much more to fear than the lecture. This could be a way to keep them from having to make that choice in the first place. But...no. Politics.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. And old enough...

to be tried as an adult and executed, should she commit a crime.

Like infanticide, which they are trying to redefine.

[Warpy]

2. yeah, we know, and we know it will increase abortion

These damned fools are so rigidly against any form of birth control that they can't see what the outcome will be. They have no clue that this combination of drugs can be a lifesaver for young teens who have gotten themselves into something they were not ready for. They can't see that if these kids don't get effective treatment, they will likely need an abortion a month down the line...and they will get one.

Doctors don't teach kids or anyone else how to take their medications. That job falls to nurses and pharmacists. Doctors prescribe. Nurses and pharmacists educate.

The whole argument is transparently bogus.

[loftycity]

3. Pro Fetus and Anti Baby..Fundies lovely people

[Fleshdancer]

5. I am FURIOUS over this!

You make an excellent point by the way.

We have no problem treating a young teenager as an adult when he/she does something violent, but if it involves sex then suddenly they're treated like small children if not dumb animals (unless their sexuality is on display for the entertainment of society disgustingly enough).

It wasn't that long ago when our society was marrying off our 14 year old daughters and they were starting their own families at 16 but now we pretend the teenagers of today have completely regressed in their emotional and intellectual development. At the end of the day, I think Americans stretch out the life span of a "child" far too long. I remember getting disgusting at freepers refering to Monica Lewinsky as a "child"...because heaven forbid a young woman knows what she wants sexually even when others don't approve of her decisions.

[tigereye]

9. well put

I like your Venus of W, btw.

I knew there would be some complication with the MA pill. But maybe women can at least have access to it, somehow or other. IT would be really great if all of this would be private, as it is supposed to be, just the woman and her doctor. Actually the FDA is in a "worry about kids and meds" mood, so all in all, that may not be totally bad.

[dbt]

7. The FDA needs to kiss my shiny metal ass!

They rush product after half-assed product onto the market, damn the side effects and who's got time to wait for thorough tests. They act like a rubber stamp for the pharmaceutical manufacturers, they can't approve each new new drug FAST ENOUGH unless

a woman's reproductive system might be involved.

Then they become cautious. Then they become "concerned." Then they come down squarely on the side of CONTROL every goddam time.

You would think with this country going to hell any way you want to look at it, the Pugs would have something better to do than try to legislate morality.

:argh:
dbt

[eyesroll]

8. From Preven's Web site:

4. Pediatric use. The safety and efficacy of COCs have been established in women of reproductive age. Safety and efficacy are expected to be the same for postpubertal adolescents under 16 and users 16 and older. Use of this product before menarche is not indicated.

OVERDOSAGE

There have been no reports of serious ill effects from overdosage of combination oral contraceptives, including ingestion by children.

http://www.preven.com/prodinfo/prescinfo.asp

In other words, even if a 9-year-old boy somehow walked into a pharmacy, plunked down $30 or shoplifted the kit and took all of the pills at once, there won't be serious problems.

And, for comparison's sake, the warning on a package of Flinstones Chewable Vitamins plus iron -- the medicine designed to look and taste like candy. Don't tell me than children can handle these things safely without adult guidance:

Warnings

Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of the reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

So..."no reports of serious ill effects" vs. "leading cause of fatal poisoning."

:argh:

[Pithlet]

10. This makes me mad as hell.

Their scientists overwhelmingly backed approval, something like 85%, and they still banned it.

It is nothing but politics, pure and simple. :mad: