Jason Bruce wants his daughter to involve him in the event she needs Plan B.
The following is an opinion editorial on making Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, available over the counter.
Yesterday, the FDA decided to allow girls as young as 15 to purchase Plan B without a prescription.
Just to be clear Plan B is not merely a preventative birth control pill. It can stop fertilization, and it can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse to stop the implantation of an already fertilized egg to the uterus; thus, the name Plan B.
I struggle with this FDA decision. When contraception is as convenient as Tylenol in a drug store, are we making the sexual behavior of teenagers more thoughtless and less personal? Are we sending a message that sex is merely a physical act rather than an interpersonal, mutually responsible behavior sex was designed to be?
If a woman chooses to get an abortion from a clinic, she at least has to face another human being that will explain what happened and what will happen if an abortion procedure takes place. But now with Plan B, the young woman has to face no one. She’s not accountable for her actions, and even worse, no one might know if she needs help.
Accountability and responsibility is an important concept in civilized society, and there are consequences to our behavior. Teenagers need to see the consequences of their behavior so they will learn to be mature responsible young people. We’re giving these students the idea that something this significant can be tossed around.
Indeed, what happens inside the bedroom and one’s behavior to his or her body is a private matter. But my 15 year old daughter is having sex, have questions about sex and is about to make a life-changing choice about her body, as a parent and who is responsible to my child, I would like to know about it and be part of that major decision. I’m sure many dads share this feeling with me.
Sometimes it’s better when things aren’t so convenient.
Read Hugo Schwyzer’s opposing viewpoint editorial, I’m a Dad and I Don’t Want the Government to Force My Daughter to Talk to Me About Contraception.
Image credit: alamosbasement/Flickr
15 year olds with a trusted adult in their lives are likely to talk with them. This is a trust that is earned not given. A 15 year old also has the right to bodily autonomy and should *never* have to check with daddy (genetic, medical or political) prior to making a decision about her own body. She certainly shouldn’t have to ‘face another person’ in order to explain herself, be judged and be deemed worthy (or not) of access to medication. People are no less likely to use contraception because of access to Plan B. Contraception prevents STIs, not… Read more »
What about check with MOMMY? Many moms share this view. Given that so many kids these days are primarily raised by moms, now what? What about these moms who share our view? And yes, a 15 year old boy or girl needs to be in touch with his/her parents. My house, my expectations. Too many parents these days want to be “cool” but being cool, from what I’ve experiences with the thousands of kids I’ve worked with means caring enough for them to set boundaries and hold the kids to them. Care enough to bite the bullet and actually say… Read more »
“….. 15 year old daughter is having sex, have questions about sex and is about to make a life-changing choice about her body, as a parent and who is responsible to my child, I would like to know about it and be part of that major decision. I’m sure many dads share this feeling with me.” BINGO! You got it! These are OUR kids. Let’s take this a step further. Forget the condoms, kids will stop using them because they’ll figure that they’ll just take the pill … what’s the big deal?!?! Anyone hear anything about the clinical trials for… Read more »
“Let’s take this a step further. Forget the condoms, kids will stop using them because they’ll figure that they’ll just take the pill … what’s the big deal?!?!” It doesn’t work that way and you know it. – “Anyone hear anything about the clinical trials for this drug? Long/short term side affects?” http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/021998lbl.pdf – “I used to be on a medication that was “approved” by the FDA … years later, after countless people were taking the drug, all of a sudden it comes out that it causes irreversible damage. They pulled it but only after countless law suits and the… Read more »
Benjamin, You work with adolescents? Do you have any idea as to how a 15, 16 … 18 year old thinks?
I’ve worked with adolescent males for 15 years where many were kids with kids. Believe me when I tell you that they will look at this as an easy out.
But why should this be any different then government allowing my kid to have an abortion without my knowing, hand over birth control without my permission?
Holy S#it Tom, you raise some real big concerns. Not to mention the further spread of STDs. We’ve gone too far. These are moral, ethical, legal, political, personal life changing decisions….and how much voice do men (and fathers) have in reproduction? None! Husbands can’t even get a vasectomy without their wive’s consent, but 15 year olds can get Plan B at Walgreens or from their girlfriends. WTF? I’m glad we have a choice, but it’s unreal how much control woman have over men and family planning and no responsibility to men for women’s behavior. The activists and scientists have taken… Read more »
Joan, I wonder how this would have been perceived had a women wrote the article? It seems that when hard line opinions such as this one comes to surface, the dad is looked at as the oppressor.
Thank you for your positive response. I’m glad to see clear thinking women who can objectively look at the big picture. My views are often pretty much based upon 15 years of working with adolescents as well as my own experiences with raising two kids.
“If a woman chooses to get an abortion from a clinic, she at least has to face another human being that will explain what happened and what will happen if an abortion procedure takes place. But now with Plan B, the young woman has to face no one.” So, pharmacists don’t count as human beings anymore? (You still have to get Plan B from a pharmacy; it just doesn’t require a prescription.) “But my 15 year old daughter is having sex, have questions about sex and is about to make a life-changing choice about her body, as a parent and… Read more »