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Subscribe to RSSThe morning-after pill known as Plan B is steeped in controversy again. The Department of Health and Human Services has taken the rare step of overruling the Food and Drug Administration and its science advisors and will not allow the pill to be sold over the counter in drugstores unless a woman can prove she is older than 17.
The stunning override of the FDA is bad public policy. This is a case of politics triumphing over science yet again when it comes to matters of reproduction, contraception and abortion in the U.S.
Plan B has stirred strong emotions from the minute its manufacturer sought FDA approval. During the Bush administration, abortion foes tried to stifle the drug on the grounds that it works as an abortion agent even though the drug actually prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, which is not in the scientific sense of the term an abortion. Some docs and pharmacists made headlines by saying they would not prescribe the pill even in the case of a rape. Some hospitals will not stock it.
Plan B won't be available OTC for younger teens
But the pill has been shown safe time and time again. The FDA panel that approved it for over-the-counter use simply could not find any scientific reason to worry about its safety. The benefits of preventing unwanted pregnancies and the risks of surgical abortions are significant.
So why not let any woman, even a girl of 14 or 15, have access? Because, politically at least, saying a young girl can protect herself against an unwanted pregnancy is not the most popular stance to take.
The fact is that many teen girls have sex – and many will not talk about it with their parents.
Sometimes that sex is coerced or forced. Sometimes it is a relative or friend who is the exploiter.
These are not scenarios that we like to admit to. But they are real. That's why the pills should be readily available on drugstore shelves, but include an insert listing resources where young girls can get help.
Making Plan B hard to get doesn't protect these young girls. It puts them in an even worse spot.
Read more columns by Art Caplan:
Shame on school for rejecting boy with HIV
Vatican push for adult stem cells can't ignore good science
Art Caplan, Ph.D., is the director for the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Follow him on Twitter @ArthurCaplan.
Leave a Comment:
Good science will always trumped with bad policy where politics are involved.
Absolutely. Bad policy appears to rule the day. Good science somehow gets marked as a product of the "devil".
The world is flat, right? I'm still afraid to go too close to the edge. I might piss off a conservative ... ;(
In an election year, good science will inevitably be trumped by bad policy where birth control is involved.
Let science be science, let politics be politics, and let there be no mixing between the two. Generally when one hires an expert, they do so with the intent of listening and/or following their expertise. Politicians on the other hand, seem to hire experts simply to tell them that they are wrong and completely ignore what they have to say.
What would cheeses do?
Big Pharma: Waaaah I can't make monies! Waaaah!
FDA: Don't worry Big Pharma, we'll find some other way to make Christmas Xtra Special for you this year.
Journal, please explain what your childish little rant against pharmaceutical companies have to do with blocking teen's access to this particular product (proven both safe and affective) based on politics and not medicine. D@mn those big Pharma companies for seeing a need a trying to fill it! How dare they?? Now, if this story was about drug companies pricing their products so high that teen girls could not hope to afford them and the FDA was telling them to go for it, you might have a point. But it is not. And you don't.
another "right to life" stab..... If you are one of those then just keep your own kids from having sex. Don't worry about mine thank you very much. It isn't your job to police my womb or any other females but whomever is in your own family...
In other news, Republicans promote policy to increase funding for foster care and orphanages 10,000 fold
What planet are we on again?
Fundie mantra - "We have to punish these sluts with children that they can neither afford to or be mature enough to take care of!"
As an aside, Afghanistan has the right idea, we should be arresting and incarcerating rape victims too! Unless they decide to marry their rapist that is...Marriage is sacred! It is a solemn vow between a rapist and their victim...I mean husband and wife!
Anyway, back to reality!
These types of decisions make me sick!
To a Right Winger, you only have a right to life when you're young and impressionable, and can't make your own decisions. That way they can brainwash you into whatever belief they want to force down your throat. Then when you get older and disagree with them, you have a right to die. Preferably by a gunshot to the temple. YEAH TRADITIONAL VALUES!
Big Pharma makes more money if they have more customers. All the major pharma companies have wings in OTC meds. It is in their interests to make medicines OTC. However, it makes medicines more expensive for you and me.
This is a ploy to keep Big Pharma rolling in the dough... especially since Insurance companies, who can negotiate and lower drug prices, will be REQUIRED to provided birth control as part of their plans. This will be a huge loss for Big Pharma!
Do you really expect Big Pharma to make this pill cheap? No way. Access to Plan B to teenagers is a total red herring. Little girls won't be taking plan B because it will be so expensive.
Birth Control needs to be by prescription to keep it affordable and available to all women. The way it always has been. There's no need to make it OTC. Sorry Big Pharma... no big profitsl for you!
Next!
No not really, GOOD SCIENCE is circumvented by people that deny reality because it doesn't profit them in any way. PROFIT is at the root of all corporate endeavor, public stupidity of scientific fact is not helping our condition.
First of all, the FDA is a criminal agency that caters to the pharmaceutical cartel...Ever think why they don't want you to take valuable vitamins, or have access to natural cures, or even oppress the liberty of drinking wholesome, natural milk ? Let's face it, either way, the government cannot be trusted. It's time people took matters into their own hands and became self-reliant !! Being self-responsible is the ONLY way...for your health, your own freedom, and your life.
Not only is this bad policy but it is patently stupid policy. Since the drug is OTC, the girl younger than 17 will just have someone else get it for her --- something that is quite legal and easily done. So much for political posturing.
@ray4a: Not entirely true -- look at the nuclear power industry.
Good science is frequently chumped by policies of fear. People are afraid of nuclear energy, frequently because they don't understand how it works, or the engineering concepts. Ever wondered why we haven't built a nuclear power plant in the US in 50 years? Or why our current plan involves upgrading our infrastructure by 2040? Or why we're still using Generation I and II reactors, when we could build Generation IV reactors?
So... a woman that is old enough to be a mother can choose to buy these pills over the counter to prevent an unwanted pregnancy but a 14 year old girl is not allowed to avoid an unwanted pregnancy?
HUH??????????????????
Why do we have a public policy that seems to have been designed specifically to INCREASE the number of unwanted children born to teenage girls?
@ Junicon
Not sure...it is indeed odd.
From a religious fanatic perspective, I figure it's an unfounded desire to punish the irresponsible behavior of neglected and or short-sighted children with a baby that will severely impact their own personal development...'cause Gawd said so!'
From a practical standpoint, children born of single-mothers statistically have a much greater likelihood of being criminals or under-performers in society. If you are a pragmatist that needs cheap labor, a ready supply of new soldiers for future armies, and a reason to employ a large force and bureaucracy for a police-state or benefit directly from such a thing, then you will likely share the same dim view on birth control and education as the religious zealot.
I think that these two groups are not mutually exclusive of one another and that we have a significant number of them in office and amongst the lobbyists.
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Hahah this JournalJournal guy acts like BigPharma is some giant single entity. You realize that GSK, Pfizer, Roche, and TEVA are different right? The only pharma company that manufactures, distributes, and profits from Plan-B One Step is Teva Pharmaceutials, one of the biggest generic manufacturers in the world - ya know, the cheaper pills. Pretty much blows your whole "affordability" argument out of the water.
Think about this: because you and others have adopted a "way to go HHS, stick it to that greedy company" attitude, more decisions are being made based on politics/opinion to please voters, and not data.
Young women around the country have lost access to medication they need to make decisions about their own bodies and futures, and you think that is a good thing why? By the way, nothing changed for Teva, their pill is still on the market as it has been and I highly, highly doubt they will see any hit in their $16B annual sales because of this decision.
Sorry, it's still Yes profits for pharma, and No options for young women because people think it's "baaaaad."
Next!
I contend that this is actually the head of HHS going against all better judgment and abusing her station, not the failings of an entire department. The department came to the opposite conclusion as the Head did.
Time to toss her out
Thank you Art Caplan for being a voice of reason among the cacaphony of right wingers who think they can govern everyone else's sexuality. Let's just pin big red "As" on those naughty girls for getting pregnant and leave them with no help. Of course, there should be no penalty for the males involved.
As well as complete secrecy for the most pious among the conservative elite who must get abortions or secret away a surprise "blessing from God(tm)" that their teenage daughter had.
I wonder what the Palin family would have done with her pregnant teen's baby if Sarah weren't suddenly thrust into the lime light.
At least they didn't remove Plan B from the market. In another time not too long ago, Plan B would have never been available for sale.
At least SOMEONE gets it. By using political views to decide a scientific matter, more girls will be harmed.
Awesome because if there's one thing this country needs it's more teen pregnancies!
Sounds like MTV has a crop for another season ready to go!
Don't know if Sebillius was responding to her Catholic upbringing or some other political pressure, but her decision is pure crap.
Conservative Catholic upbringing, please, if you must go there. Study after study has shown that the majority of Catholics in this country are much more ambivalent about birth control and women's rights than the conservative Bishops in the hierarchy would want you to believe.
The conservative view seems to be that federal interference in private lives is evil except in cases related to sex and religion. Then it is mandatory that the federal government enforce the most repressive dictates of fundamentalist Christianity. States rights are all well and good until it comes to gay marriage, abortion, or evolution. Then it is vital that the feds step in to enforce the narrow view of a repressive minority.
And don't forget the War on Drugs
I believe this to be a misleading statement. I think it should read "The Secretary of The Department of Health and Human Services has taken the rare step of overruling the Food and Drug Administration..." I think this is another classic example of one person forcing their beliefs on everyone else.
If the drug is as safe for a 14 year old as it is for a 17 year old, then it makes no sense to make it over the counter for the older girl and not the younger.
People need to stand up against the religious right and not let them bully us out of rational public health policy.
It's hard these days to find a politician that isn't first groomed by those mush-heads
Why on Earth do politicians suddenly feel it is necessary to show their devotion to bronze age mythologies?
Stupid move.
If I was cynical, this would look like a ploy by a Democratic administration to drive a wedge beween social conservatives who would applaud this ban and fiscal conservatives who would think it's dumb.
But I won't be cynical and just say it's dumb.
I think kids are sh^t today, and I would be appalled that my teen is taking this drug. I think they make a lot of money getting kids sexually active at an early age. There is no marriage or family anymore, and I think it is because drug companies or record companies or movies or Playboy makes a lot of money off of sex. I think this drug could be dangerous to a younger teen too. Who paid Kaplan to write this - I think it is crap.
Companies don't need to incentivise kids to be promiscuous, the lack of parental supervision or participation in their kids' lives solves that problem quite nicely!
Just so you know...teen pregnancy has been happening for generations, the primary drivers to why it is where it is today is as follows:
Abstinence programs haven't done squat to reduce sexual activity among young people. Whoever thinks that birth control encourages sexual activity has their head in the sand. Most sexually active teens don't use protection.
So you'd rather be a grandparent? When your daughter is 13?
We have 7 billion people on this planet, do we really need more? What a CROCK OF EXCREMENT! How many times are we going to let some made up HOR$E$HIT, aka religion, dictate how the world is run? People, your God is FAKE. Never was and NEVER will be, get over yourselves, and your old story book that was written to CONTROL you! Quit being such myopic children!
No Western or other developed country is in any danger of being overrun by too many people. The problem is generally the opposite, that of too few being born even to replace the existing population. If nothing changes, in the early 22nd century there won't even be any Russians, or Japanese or Italians for that matter. But that argument is silly -- something will happen, because something always does.
That having been said, that is not at all the point. The point is exactly this -- many of the girls being impregnated can't have "the talk" with their parents, because a father, step-father, brother, step-father, maternal boyfriend or other trusted friend or relative is the one who has done the impregnating. It's horrible enough that anyone would face that, but having then to give birth to the abuser's child or to have to wait until a surgical abortion is available or forced upon her (after she starts to "show") is even worse. And, I'm quite the conservative, conservative enough to think that government doesn't have any business in the field of reproduction and that a fertilized egg or embryo can't legally be considered a person until it has its own pulse. Leave theology to the theologians -- history proves that government is terrible at it.
I think you're on to something. I'd like to see a bill passed that states a person cannot be considered a person if they have no pulse. Dick Cheney would not be considered a person since he has no pulse. That actually makes a lot of sense.
please post the link to where you got the information regarding, or the list the book. or anything that validates: No Western or other developed country is in any danger of being overrun by too many people. The problem is generally the opposite, that of too few being born even to replace the existing population. If nothing changes, in the early 22nd century there won't even be any Russians, or Japanese or Italians for that matter.
I'm more of a quality over quantity kinda guy.
Plus, statistics on abortions and birth control have already shown that it doesn't reduce a female's birth rate, it merely delays it to a time when the woman is ready to have the child.
Our population isn't going to wipe itself out with birth control and abortions, it's just going to reduce the demand on the foster care system and prisons as there will be fewer children born when the parents can't take care of them (well).
I highly recommend you skeptics read Freakonomics if you haven't already
Brittany Thomas:
The population decline of these countries is well-known and well-documented. Below is the first link I found on Google when searching "Italian population", scroll down to the last section for future population projections. Since Googling for well-known information is extremely easy, I'll let you search for the other countries.
http://blog.euromonitor.com/2007/09/italian-ageing-and-declining-population-will-affect-consumption.html
jean pear and dr. kaplan,
there are definitely many times, as a matter of fact more often than not, when
politicians on both sides of the aisle do stupid or self serving acts, believe
me i am not a big fan of either party. However, this is not one of them. it
doesn't take much brains to figure out that both of you represent the same
segment of what you dislike in the ultra conservatives but on the opposite side
of the fence, the ultra liberal camp.
dr. caplan does briefly mention that this pill can be used to nullify an unintended
pregnancy due to bad judgment. then he goes on to bemoan all the poor girls who
have been abused and decries the dhhs' decision as a denial of these tragic
acts that sometimes happen and an intentional harm to young girls. first, im
sure that the last thing the dhhs intended in its decision is to force rape and
incest victims to endure a resulting pregnancy; as a matter of fact one could
argue that making this pill prescription free would make these horrendous acts
easier as the abuser could just as easily buy the pill over the counter and use
it to cover his tracks, especially on the incest and overly aggressive and
manipulative teenage boy ends.
i believe the dhhs decision is not at all framed as dr. caplan sees it:
"Because, politically at least, saying a young girl can protect herself against an
unwanted pregnancy is not the most popular stance to take."
nor as Jean:
".....cacaphony of right wingers who think they can govern everyone else's sexuality. Let's
just pin big red "As" on those naughty girls for getting pregnant and
leave them with no help. Of course, there should be no penalty for the males
involved."
while i appreciate jean's use of the scarlet letter's adultery icon as an equivalent
to the dhhs' insistence on a more thorough procedure for procuring the plan b
pill for under age girls i hardly think it's the same. jean were not talking
about tylenol here and nobody is asking for lettterman jackets for embroidery
purposes. also what does any of this have to do with punishing promiscuous men
or sexual predators? kinda left field there jean. dr. caplan yes there are many
nuts on the left as are on the right but this dhhs decision is not fairly
framed along the lines you wish to curtail the discussion on.
Fact is the plan b pill is mostly used by people who had a regretfull night of an
ill thought sexual encounter or who had a thoughtful sexual encounter but
without the proper safeguards that thoughtfulness should have resulted in.
Translate this fact to teenagers who are restricted from amongst other things
purchasing alcohol, cigarettes, or voting because of their undeveloped ability
to make rational decisions based on sufficient life experience and mental
development. so we say geez the best way to stop teenage pregnancy has got to
be this plan b pill because now they will be really responsible since we have
taken away one more consequence of ill advised sexual encounters. but wait now
these girl's will be protected because they cant get pregnant, well heck why
use the condom? oops no pregnancy but sure got the std, way to protect em dr.
caplan! and jean these boys will really be discouraged to take advantage of
girls now that pregnancy is off the table, great idea there!
the dhhs head probably considered that this is a mature drug for mature people (yes i know not all adults are mature) and teenagers are NOT mature which by the way, dr. kaplan, is a safety issue. in an age where music and television encourage our children to grow up way before their time it
is nice to know that some people in charge still have their foot on the brakes.
So, what you're saying is that since this pill will mostly be used to avoid the" consequence[s] of ill advised sexual encounters," we should force these teens to have a child before they are allowed to smoke, drink or vote because of their " undeveloped ability to make rational decisions based on sufficient life experience and mental development." So they're not capable of making these decisions, yet they are capable of raising a child.
Try being a 14 girl in the US today before you make any statements claiming to be factual. How many of them LOOK like they are 17 or 18 and get treated like they are older by men -- not just boys but MEN? How many of them are growing up in households where their parents are only together - if they are even together at all - because of an unplanned pregnancy?
Why are we so hellbent on ruining as many young lives as possible in this country? Make the girls have unwanted pregnancies and send the young men off to useless wars. This is not a strategy that is helping our society. This nation is falling far behind other industrialized countries in education and literacy rates of people under 25. We are not going to be remotely competitive with better educated nations if we continue to allow religious beliefs to trump common sense solutions to serious problems. Teenage pregnancy rates are not improving now -- what we're doing is not working.
What difference does it make if they hand these pills out at McDonalds if that can prevent unwanted pregancies that end with broken, unproductive lives and abused unwanted children? No one can be so foolish as to think not handing them out at all will stop sex.
We desperately need comprehensive, informative sex education, along with education on what is required to be a good, responsible, loving HUSBAND and father. We need to change the paradime to raise males to want to take responsbility for what they do BEFORE we take Plan B away from any female of any age for any reason.
It is a scientific fact that a fertilized egg is a human being at his or her earliest stage of human life. Therefore Plan B intentionally makes sure the human being in the mother's womb doesn't live. That means the mother is actively making sure she kills the human life in her womb. That is not a fact a lot of people want to admit to. But it is real. Also, real is that no sin is greater than God's mercy.
Shalom2U so that means if the sperm dies before it enters the egg there is no human life correct? That is what this does. It WILL not kill a fertilized egg. It produces the chemical that the eggs first releases when it is fertilized to stop the sperm from swimming. It takes over 24 hours for the sperm to make it to the egg, that is why you have to take this in the first 24 hours for it to work. So your argument would also be that for a women to have a period or a man to have nocturnal emissions is also a sin against _od. This is because as for your definition the unfertalized egg or the unimplanted sperm are really a human life that is being killed. Also, that would mean that millions of lives are killed every time one egg is fertilized. So, that even the creation of life requires the deaths of millions.
If a fertilized egg is a human being, then are identical twins each half a human being? They come from a single fertilized egg.
Oooh, touche, trip*toe*fan! Excellent point.
Why are we even debating when life begins? It's a non-starter issue that sidesteps around the real issue.
The fact of the matter is that kids who get pregnant end up in worse shape financially and emotionally than those that are able to avoid getting pregnant until they are READY.
I think we have enough kids stuck in foster care and numerous criminals who are the product of dysfunctional single-parent households thanks to the result of a single mistake with such lasting potential repercussions.
Remove the stigma about Plan B, contraceptives, and abortions. As much as I would never want an abortion for myself, I don't want to force someone into having a kid that they don't want or can't feasibly take care of! That's a recipe for disaster no matter how you look at it!
truth829 post 63.1:
According to the article's author, Art Caplan PhD., the "drug actually prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb." Sperm and ovum have to fuse in order for fertilization to occur. If the sperm dies before it enters the ovum, fertilization cannot occur. So how this drugs works means either you are wrong or Dr. Caplan is wrong. While I don't know your credentials, given Dr. Caplan's credentials, my guess is that you are wrong on this point--this drug doesn't prevent fertilization, but prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall.
The pill is $50. It's not like 14 year olds have that kind of money to throw around. Just saying.
With the right motivation, they could scare up that kind of scratch
It is amazing how Obama's cabinet (DHHS is a cabinet position) is as or even more conservative than the President he tries to emulate, his predecessor. No wonder the country is still going to hell; we have a Black G. W. Bush in office.
I work in a pharmacy. I don't think it's a bad idea requiring somebody under 17 to have a prescription; that way there is a less of a chance of it being used incorrectly. It's not meant to be used all the time and I know somebody who took it and it actually made them quite ill. They are not being told they cannot have it- just somebody over 17 must buy it for them OR they must have a prescripton. Also, as somebody else stated I really don't know of many 14 year olds that would have 50 bucks just lying around to pay for this drug.
There are darn few OTC drugs that require age verification and pretty much any OTC drug can do serious harm if used incorrectly. Tylenol can do a lot of damage if you take more than the recommended dose. NyQuil same thing with the added effect that it has 20 proof of alcohol in it. The age of 17 is totally arbitrary. Parents are just uncomfortable with the thought that their daughters might possibly be having unprotected sex. I'm sure these same parents would like to see an age restriction on intimate lubricant as well.
?
As a Parent, I want to know what medications my kids are taking... Their life might depend on my knowing what medications they take... It pisses me off that anyone would put my kid on medication behind my back. Birth control is a great thing, but medication is not, it has many risks! If someone elses kid wants birth control, but doesn't want to talk to their parents about it, then give them condoms or diaphrams etc... Don't give them medication...
My brothers wife had a brain bleed from birth control when she was 19 years old. She has had lifelong health problems from that medication. She smoked cigs and you are not supposed to do that while on the pill.
Well then don't worry, because unless your kid is a chain smoker as well, Plan B doesn't have a whole lot of dangerous interactions. It's basically a REALLY strong birth control pill
Your kid would be voluntarily taking medication behind your back. They aren't being kidnapped and drugged. They are deliberately going behind your back because they don't want you to find out...for whatever reason that may be is none of my business.
In any case, it would be administered and prescribed by a physician. If all you are worried about is a dangerous interaction with another medication...you should really be advocating for a more reliable centralized network for prescriptions so that such a danger can be intercepted...not complaining about a specific medication and your knowledge of events.
While I agree to some extent, as condoms ALSO protect against STD while birth control does not. These items in conjunction with one another are infinitely more effective...AND I'd rather that the kid be practicing some level of birth control if they are so irresponsible to engage in sex at a young age as it is. Without it, they will still have sex, but now ALSO risk getting pregnant.
It says it right on the container! It always has! How about attributing some personal responsibility. I'm not about to prevent you from using aspirin because a person I know gave themselves internal bleeding because they took it with alcohol.
RTFM
Your kid could go into a drug store at any age and buy a bottle of aspirin and take some without you ever knowing. Aspirin has drug interactions with a lot of things and some people are even allergic.
Life begins at conception. Use of the morning after pill is abortion and or the attempt to abort(kill) and you who push and approve of it will be punished. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood. I pray for those first who have been killed with your approval. I pray for those who are about to be killed by you and your teachings of this EVIL act. Third I pray for you soul. Where do you get the approval to kill another human being. The Devil. You might think this person is some religious nut. Well the words are direct, because you do not listen to the truth in any simple form. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Would you give your approval of those before you to stop your life, (or medically speaking), suction out your brains to abort you? Think about it my brother or sister. Or can you not bear to look into your own soul and see the repulsive ground on which you stand. Cowards
If life begins at conception--meaning a fertilized egg is a unique human being that deserves rights and respect--then what are we to make of identical twins?
They come from a single fertilized egg. So you have a fertilized egg that actually results in two unique human beings. Or are identical twins each one-half of a person?
And what about people who are chimeras? These people result from an rare situation in which two eggs get fertilized by two separate sperms. At some point in development, the clumps of cells produced from a fertilized egg--called a blastocyst--merge into one. These people have cells with two different sets of DNA. So you have two fertilized eggs that results in a single human being. Or are these people actually two people?
Half of all fertilized eggs naturally fail to implant. That means if you have two kids, statistically speaking, at least two have failed to thrive as fertilized eggs. Are we to medically intervine in cases such as this as we would with a premature baby? If we deliberately fail to act, aren't our sins just as great as if we had killed the egg? How much blood do you have on your hands for failing to act?
@ JMJ: to add to Pragmatic's comment - a sexually active woman who has her period has most likely naturally expelled a fertilized egg. If you fit the above description, by your own admission, you are a murderer and a coward unless you only have sex once when you become fertile and that results in a pregnancy. If we assume (for the sake of convenience) only 1 egg fertilized a month following intercourse and factor in 12 menstrual cycles a year you get this: A married woman who has tried for 3 years to conceive (w/o any issues of egg production or her husband's sperm's motility) has killed 36 children and would be a mass murderer.
Plan B is safe when used according to directions but all drugs have complications. Young teen and preteens are generally not responsible enough or educated enough to use such a drug responsibly and safely. Get real people, they are not banning it. They are just requiring an adult to be involved in it's use. Some of you people are so busy screaming about women's (children's) rights that you have lost any grip on reality or common sense! A child is under the control of the parent, NOT THE STATE!!! GET A CLUE!!!!!
Nyquil is safe when used according to directions but all drugs have complications. Young teen and preteens are generally not responsible enough or educated enough to use such a drug responsibly and safely.
Not a good idea to take peoples choices away , they tend to go overboard.
I think they are making a lot of money off of kids taking this drug, and I would like to know who paid Art Kaplan for writing this piece. I was talking to my girlfriend just now and was remarking that I never heard of all the child molesters or rampage killers when I was a little girl in the sixties. Likewise, many women waited until they were married to have sex. I wonder how much money companies make by getting kids and young adults to have sex outside of marriage. I am beginning even to think Women's Lib was to get a cheaper laborer than a man. I wish we could expose these people making money off our misery.
Love the line about young girls being coerced or forced! Maybe if our rape laws were applied the way they should be, maybe if our courts worked for the victim rather than the criminal, and maybe if the media wasn't so focused on using sex to sell, our children would be safe! Abortion may be a choice and the Plan B situation may help matters, but don't give me the crap about forced and coerced....there are laws, just like with gun control, there are laws! Enforce the laws or just resort to anarchy, but don't use ineffectual enforcement as an excuse! I'd rather have no excuse than the lame ones being used for abortion, guns, illegals, tax cheats, corruption, etc!
Our piece of crap lead politician and his minions have a perfectly good opportunity to behave like proper democrats and wind up doing an impression of a religious zealot tea party republican. Can we start throwing them all out? If you vote for the same people over and over again, you are part of the problem too....