Plan B sales come up for House debate

Some state lawmakers are hoping to dispel common misconceptions about the emergency-contraceptive pill this session by helping women become better informed about it.

Emergency contraception, also known as the Plan B or the morning-after pill, has 12 times the level of hormones found in most birth control pills, said Guli Fager, a University Health Services health education coordinator. She said it inhibits ovulation by creating physical barriers so that sperm cells have a difficult time fertilizing the egg. The University Health Center sold 989 Plan B contraception packages last year.

“If your egg gets fertilized, Plan B can’t stop that,” said Sarah Watson, a healthy sexuality peer educator. “All it does is make it a hostile environment for sperm. If your egg has already been fertilized, you’re pregnant, and you’re screwed.”

Watson, an English junior, also said the pill is not an effective form of birth control because it is only intended for emergency use.

Obstetricians and gynecologists define a living fetus as a fertilized egg that has implanted into the uterus wall, but some organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church, believe that life begins when an egg is fertilized.

A bill authored by state Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio, would require pharmacists to tell women that an emergency contraception pill can block a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus wall, which may conflict with their moral beliefs. The bill would also require pharmacies to display signs with that information.

“Often times when it is prescribed, there is no detail [about] how the pill operates,” said Kathi Seay, Corte’s policy analyst.

A bill authored by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, would require clinics to offer information about emergency contraception to rape and incest victims.

Farrar said many women don’t realize that the Plan B pill is an option.

“[The bill] addresses rape victims so that they can better protect themselves and don’t have to worry about whether they are pregnant,” Farrar said. “I think there is a need for that awareness to reduce the number of abortions and unwanted pregnancies. It is a real injustice.”

She does not feel confident about the bill’s passage because Republicans outnumber the Democrats in the House. She also noted the opposition the bill faces from the Catholic Church.

Susan Fani, director of communications for the Catholic League, said that because her organization is in line with the Catholic Church’s values, it is opposed to the emergency-contraception pill.

“Making it mandatory for Catholic hospitals to dispense the pill would violate their rights,” Fani said.

She said that according to U.S. Bishops, in cases of rape, the patient has the option to take preventative measures before conception, but not Plan B.

“The evil of rape would be compounded with the evil of abortion,” Fani said.

Sarah Wheat, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood in Austin, said her organization supports Farrar’s bill.

The emergency-contraception pill is a safe and effective way to reduce the risk of pregnancy, according to Planned Parenthood, whose clinics offer the Plan B pill.

“There is a huge lack of awareness about what [the pill] is and how it works,” Wheat said. “It’s like if you don’t know about aspirin, you don’t know to take it when you have a headache.”

She said that a common misconception is to confuse emergency contraception with the abortion pill. She said the abortion pill causes the fetus to be aborted, while the Plan B pill prevents a pregnancy from occuring.

She said another common misconception arises because the pill is often referred to as the morning-after pill.

“Medical research has shown that the pill can work up to five days after unprotected sex,” Wheat said.

She said it can cause cramping and nausea, buti it is not risky and is basically the same as a high dosage of regular birth control.”

It’s intended to be a backup,” Wheat said.

Comparative costs of Plan B
• CVS Pharmacy                                                                                      $49.57
• Walgreens Pharmacy                                                                            $41.99
• UT Health Services                                                                                $39
• University of North Texas Student Health and Wellness Center            $35
• Texas A&M University Student Health Services                                     $31.50
• Louisiana State University Student Health Center                                 $25

6 comments

sharon

Sat Apr 25 2009 02:48

They might as well slap a warning label on every box of Trojans: "WARNING: The Catholic Church doesn't want you to use these. PS The Texas Department of State Health Services does." Every woman should be aware of her options when it comes to reproductive health. I don't think this awareness necessarily extends to the possible implications on personal beliefs--but of course I doubt that Corte is really trying to help people who don't want to take Plan B from taking it, that doesn't make any sense. It is likely more along the lines of Texas's own S.B. 182 requiring women be read antiabortion literature and receive a medically-unnecessary ultrasound before an abortion. This is a travesty of public health--"keep your rosaries off my ovaries!"

Mike B

Sat Apr 25 2009 02:41

Hey, lets make this a fun argument. Lots of Hispanics are Catholics. And lots of voters in Texas are "moral" White Christians. So white voters would rather the Mexicans stay at home pregnant and drop out of school than fixing a mistake and getting an education and a good job?

Boo ya!

Mike B

Sat Apr 25 2009 02:37

So we have to inform girls all about the "moral wrongs" AFTER sex? Why not inform BOTH boys and girls BEFORE sex? If preventing a fertilized egg from implanting is "morally wrong" for a person, I'm pretty their situation of having sex was "morally wrong" also.

And saying that you don't want to "compound" your wrongs but taking this pill is like saying that if you are driving and you see an oncoming car "wrongly" in your lane, you must use your turn signal before trying to move out of the way.

Your name

Fri Apr 24 2009 17:15

If there are so many misconceptions about Plan B then you should have clarified that it is for after unprotected sex instead making it sound like any other contraceptive. Inform the reader in the very beginning instead of delving into the logistics of the story.

keep women informed

Thu Apr 23 2009 18:51

It actually IS the pharmacists' job to educate the patients on how medications work. That's why they always ask you at CVS whether you have questions for the pharmicist. This is for prescription pills. If you purchase anything else over-the-counter, but kept behind the counter medications, they also ask you this question. So, yes, pharmicists should be explaining to the consumer how the pill works.

Vinh

Thu Apr 23 2009 09:38

There's really no harm in adding a warning label so those who choose to use it will know how it works on this however at the same time shouldn't it be the task of the pharmacists if consulted on education patients on OTC medications and how they work?

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out