The FDA has done something profound: under a Republican-controlled government they have approved selling the controversial birth control drug Plan B over the counter (meaning, without a prescription) to women over the age of 18.

According to the Plan B Consumer Homepage (http://www.go2planb.com), Plan B is “an emergency contraceptive that can still prevent a pregnancy after contraceptive failure or unprotected sex.”

The drug is effectively a higher dosage of regular birth control. More importantly, Plan B is a drug that prevents fertilization of the egg. It is not a pill that will induce an abortion. It only works if the egg has not yet been fertilized. So naturally, it is plain to see why the legalization of this pill is a great thing regarding contraception.

It’s very beneficial to women who are fearful that their original contraceptive choice didn’t work (i.e. a broken condom or missing a day of the pill). It’s also beneficial to women who have just been raped. If they take Plan B, then it is almost guaranteed (89% effective) that they won’t become pregnant as a result of that rape.

But there are some who believe that Plan B should remain a prescription-only contraceptive. They believe that Plan B might instead become the sole means of contraception used.

Still others believe that use of the drug will lead to an increase in promiscuous sex, something they find to be harmful to society as a whole. These are unfounded ideas. They are based on what some people feel and not any significant evidence. They are possibilities, but not yet realities.

Furthermore, the “dangers” predicted by conservatives about the harms Plan B could bring would be outweighed by the many benefits that allowing the drug brings. Victims of faulty contraceptive devices as well as victims of rapists’ attacks would no longer have to worry so much about potential pregnancies.

To some, Plan B is immoral. To others, it does not go far enough. Some proponents of Plan B argue that, by only allowing women over the age of 18 to obtain it, teen girls who are susceptible to pregnancy are at risk. As damaging to the psyche as being a victim of rape at a young age is, try to imagine the pain of having to bear your rapist's child at that age.

By allowing Plan B to be sold to women younger than 18, we are not advocating sexual activity at a young age, but rather hoping to prevent unwanted pregnancies for teens who are just children themselves.

Requiring a prescription for the drug would only assure fewer use the drug, including many women who are victims of rape. These women often have feelings of shame or humiliation, and requiring a prescription would mean reliving this horrific episode. There is no doubt that there will be people out there who will abuse the drug's purpose by using Plan B as Plan A. But the potential gains of legalizing Plan B definitely outweigh the potential losses.

The FDA was right in allowing this drug to be available without a prescription. The next step is allowing women under 18 access to it as well.

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