Saturday, April 6, 2013

Poll: Should the "morning after" pill be available over-the-counter to teenagers?


Recently news broke that a judge overturned a restriction that limited teen's access to the morning after pill by requiring a prescription for the drug. The order now makes the pill more widely available to people, including teenagers.
The judge's decision was met with both support and criticism. Many older, more conservative people oppose the ruling, saying that the best way to avoid becoming pregnant is through abstinence, however more sensible younger people support the ruling because, well, just because you tell a teen to not have sex doesn't mean that they are going to avoid it. In fact, a 2010 study reported that nearly 42% of teenage girls have had sex at least once. The number was about the same- 43%- for boys. (Citation)
Then comes the politician's views: President Obama recently announced support for legislation that requires girls younger than 17 to see a doctor before buying the pill.
So, my question to you today is: Do you support the judge's ruling to allow the "morning after" pill to be available as an over-the-counter contraceptive, even to teenagers? Why or why not?
Leave a comment below. And no matter what your stance is, you can take comfort that over 90% of teenagers use some sort of contraceptive- numbers that are higher than ever.

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