https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEVi57jsQHo
Before 2013, emergency contraceptives weren’t sold over the
counter. Emergency contraceptives could only be purchased from the pharmacy and
it had an age restriction (17 years or older). Plan B One-Step is an emergency
contraceptive which helps prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of
unprotected sex or birth control failure. This is not to get confused with an
abortion pill. Also, emergency contraceptives aren’t meant to be used as a regular
birth control. Plan B One-Step is one tablet that contains a higher dose of
levonorgestrel than most birth controls. It works by stopping the release of an
egg from the ovary as well as preventing the egg and sperm from fertilizing.
The video follows a 16-year-old girl as she attempts to buy a
Plan B pill after the FDA removed the age restrictions on emergency
contraceptives. She had difficulty locating the product in the store because
some stores didn’t carry it on the shelf, it was out of stock, or it was still
sold exclusively in the pharmacy. When she bought the Plan B pill from the
pharmacy, she was still asked for an identification and when she found the
product on the shelf, it was encased in a big bulky security box. The price for Plan B averages to about $50. Difficulty in
purchasing emergency contraceptives can lead to teens purchasing fake pills
from websites such as Amazon. The absurd pricing of emergency contraceptives along with other birth controls for women, such as the IUD makes me question why is birth control so expensive? Why do women have numerous options for birth control when men have only condoms and vasectomy? Why does it seem like it's the woman's job to prevent pregnancy?
I like how you raised that question in the end. But yes, why is it that it seems like it is women's role to prevent pregnancy? All I can say is society is creating roles for women and due to the historical background of women (they were oppressed), and there are probably more reasons to that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the idea that women taking pills while men uses condoms, vasectomy, and other physical procedure to prevent pregnancy seems kind of unfair. Even if women have some type of condom or some sort, it will still have more drawbacks of using compared to the male counterpart.If we think about it, the pill can directly harm the women's body, unlike the condoms that men uses. Why can't men also take pills to prevent pregnancies?
Hi, I also liked how you asked these questions that relate to the unfair birth control/preventative methods that are available to men and women today. Women were and are still oppressed in many ways. I agree that women birth control/preventative methods are very expensive, the daily pill costs $160-$600 annually, an IUD $150-$250, patches range from $35-$50 etc. To give some perspective to the questions you asked, historically women's sexuality were suppressed and they were not allowed to publicly express their sexuality or indulge in sexual pleasure. On the other hand, for men, it was more socially accepted that men could be public about their sexuality and the idea of "boys will be boys" playing into the acceptance or expectation that men engage in sexual activities often and that it is not surprising they have multiple partners. Therefore, this may play into today's multiple women birth control/ preventative methods available, showing women should be responsible for their sexuality and prevent pregnancies if they don't want it.
ReplyDeleteREALLY IMPORTANT, that although we COULD determine whether it's suppression of ovulation (not defined as 'abortion'), or prevention of implantation (can be seen as 'abortion'), we have not decided. And thus kept out of the pro-life battles.
ReplyDelete