With the proposed legislature discussing the possibility of making the morning after pill accessible without a prescription, we catch ourselves in the midst of another combat of morals, indecisive definitions, and the ever-blurring lines of religion and politics. All of which are hindering the progress of making the drug more readily accessible to women. First and foremost, this type of emergency contraception is not abortion. Abortion is defined as being “the termination of pregnancy by various methods, including medical surgery, before the fetus is able to sustain independent life” (USlegalforms.com). The morning after pill, or Plan B as it’s called, does not abort the fetus. In fact, the word “abort” should not be involved in the debate of the drug. The pill simply halts the fertilization process, disenabling the sperm’s ability to infuse the embryo. The religious right has hailed Plan B as a demonic pharmaceutical, leading to promiscuity among women and the murder of unborn fetuses across the country. Their response- if you are going to act with loose morals, you should be punished as such. But is it the woman or the child being punished? With the drastic cuts in welfare, there is an ever growing population of homeless and orphaned children- in 2001 alone 290, 000 children entered into the foster care system according to a 2003 study by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse ‘ Neglect. We have to ask ourselves what’s preferable- surrendering thousands of innocent children to the world of starvation and neglect, or allowing a woman to halt the possibility of creating such a tragic life for a child? Contrary to some beliefs, most women aren’t waiting on the sidelines for someone to flash the go ahead signal allowing them to sleep around without the looming threat of becoming pregnant. Sex has been de-sanctified in our culture, it’s true, but there is still a unique element between two individuals who share similar feelings for one another. Mistakes do happen. But mistakes should not entitle an individual to a lifetime of payback. A condom breaks, a pill is missed…and just like that, your life is spiraling in a completely different direction. There are many women, ranging from college co-eds to professional businesswomen, who want children, but that doesn’t mean they want them now, at this point in their lives, when a pregnancy could throw them into financial, emotional, and physical turmoil. In an April 19th New York Times article, pharmacists voiced their opinions on accepting the responsibility to fulfill a prescription that they oppose on moral grounds. Funny how no one’s ethics seem to be inhibiting their decision to prescribe viagra, giving a man a six hour window to impregnate a woman. How can one drug be acceptable for some, while the other is criticized as morally wrong? The projected convenience of the emergency contraception availability will also result in a decrease of the more invasive alternative, abortion. The weight of the latter, furthermore, could be more difficult to bear for a victim of sexual violence. After being impeded and trespassed on, I cannot imagine a rape survivor embracing such a surgical procedure by means of first choice. Even for the most liberal minded, an abortion can be difficult to accept. Plan B will allow women to avoid embarrassing, difficult decisions and procedures by allowing them to take the extra precaution. And there they are ladies and gentleman, the key words, extra precaution. I’m not advertising promiscuity, nor am I inviting people around the world to have unprotected sex. Condoms should always be used to not only protect against pregnancy, but sexually transmitted diseases as well. If the woman is willing, birth control should be utilized also. But nothing is one hundred percent effective, and for that, we shouldn’t be subjected to a lifetime of regret.

-Colleen Booth Middler Journalism Major