Plan B Contraceptive Is Bad Medicine

Why do we have a prescription requirement for oral contraceptives? Because there is a risk associated with oral contraceptives. There is significant risk of sudden death, in terms of increased risk for people that have advanced cardiovascular disease or that have blood vessel disease. Before we give anybody oral contraceptives, we do a thorough history to make sure they don't have any risk factors. We also make sure they understand how to use them.

Plan B is nothing but a very high dose of the same medicine, taken over a short period of time. Why would we give somebody the same medicine and not know what the risk factors are? You're also going to have people taking it more than one time a month, which means they are getting more than a normal month worth of oral contraceptives. I think that is bad medicine.

A lot of times, when people are going to be taking that, they really need to be seeing a physician for the sexually transmitted diseases that may have occurred, and for the social and psychological counseling that may be necessary as the result of the unplanned or unwanted event. Finally, what about a 20-year-old guy buying it for a 14-year-old girl? There is no control over that with Plan B.

---