We understand. Here at oops! plan b, we have daughters too.

We understand that you don’t want your daughters to have sex until they are older (or for some people, married). But what if they are?

And yes, we understand that as a parent, you would want your daughter to talk with you before taking a drug like plan b. But are you willing to have her wait a couple of days to screw up the courage to tell you that she had unprotected sex, or that she was having sex and a condom broke? Plan b gets less effective the longer you wait. Are you willing to risk a pregnancy?

Those of us who support plan b as an over the counter drug are not encouraging teens to have sex. What we are trying to do is prevent pregnancy and thus, prevent teen pregnancy and abortion.

So how can a parent regain control of the situation? Lets assume that you already have talked to your kids about sex and birth control. You might want to add plan b into the discussion. Explain to them that plan b is a backup method. Its a high dose of hormones and might make you feel nauseous. And it doesn’t protect against STDs or HIV. And let them know that they can come to you if they need plan b.

That’s a big deal and the official end to this  protracted battle with the former  administration that placed its anti-birth control agenda  over the sound medical advice of its own FDA advisory boards! 

Special thanks to:
1. Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray who forced the FDA to act on Plan B in 2006;
2. Former assistant FDA Commissioner Susan Wood for taking a public stand;
3. The Center for Reproductive Rights for challenging the FDA in court;  and
4. Aliza Lederer-Plaskett for having the courage and fortitude to be the sole 17-year-old plaintiff in this lawsuit that has resulted in such a powerful victory.

 To start the ball rolling, Duramed, the manufacturer of Plan B, will now submit an application to the FDA to sell Plan B to 17-year-olds without a prescription.

In addition, it has been reported that the FDA is not appealing any part of the court’s ruling–meaning that the FDA is required to go back and reconsider the Citizen’s Petition  to make Plan B available otc to all women regardless of age and without additonal restrictions. 

“We are pleased that the F.D.A. is taking the necessary steps to comply with the court’s order,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, whose 2005 lawsuit against the agency led to last month’s judicial decision. “It’s time the F.D.A. restores confidence in its ability to safeguard the public health and put medical science first.”

FDA Statement

Today, I read a great blog posting on one of our favorite blogs, RH Reality Check.

In America, 62 million women are of childbearing age; worldwide, the number is around 1.5 billion. In the US, when these women get pregnant, half of their pregnancies will be unplanned and 42% of these end in abortion. Approximately 40% percent of pregnancies worldwide are unintended. Globally, about half of all abortions are considered unsafe and more than 75% occur in developing countries. In order to reduce the number of unsafe abortions worldwide, and to equip individuals with tools they need to take control of their reproductive lives, we need to ensure the availability of reversible, effective birth control solutions with minor side effects for both men and women.

Read more: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/01/26/birth-control-men-coming-soon

This is a great reminder of why emergency contraception is so important. According to these stats half of all pregnancies are unplanned! Clearly, the birth control choices available to us are not working. We need to get the word out about Plan B, so that pregnancies can be prevents AFTER sex.

Speaking of.. we have a line of T-shirts that say Prevent Pregnancy AFTER Sex. Check them out.

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You wake up in the morning, your ex is next to you in bed, you’re hung over, and as your head clears you realize you had sex, and you didn’t use a condom. Now what?

The sex was great – until the condom broke. Now what?

He didn’t listen when you said, “no.” Now what?

You know you haven’t been taking your birth control as consistently as you should – and you had sex last night without a condom. Now what?

As women we will make choices in our lives and about our bodies that can greatly impact our future. But ONE choice should never be the be all and end all of a situation. When there are choices available you should be able to freely choose the one (or more) that work best for you. The key word here is Choice. Here at Oops what we aim to do is let all women know that they have the right to make informed decisions about their bodies – before, during, and after sex. That is why we are aiming to let all women know that they have the right to emergency contraception (EC).

Emergency Contraception is available to all women in the United States, and it is available over the counter to women 18 and over. To those under 18 all you need is a prescription from your doctor or health care provider – and your parents don’t have to know. EC is not an abortion, and it won’t affect you if you are already pregnant. It just changes your cycle a little to delay ovulation, or makes it impossible for a fertilized egg to attach to your uterine lining. It’s not something that you can really use as an routine birth control measure, but it is a great tool for women to have when their plan A doesn’t go as it should.

One issue women often face when attempting to get EC is running into pharmacies that are not willing to carry it. Choice Matters is currently in the process of calling pharmacies all over Westchester County, New York to see which ones are currently stocking, or are willing to get EC. Though we have the RIGHT to EC, the right does not do anything if it isn’t acessable. Oops will highlight the pharmacies that are women-friendly, and we hope you’ll help us out. If you want to go to a pharmacy for EC and they say no or yes? LET US KNOW!

Email us at admin@oops-planb.com with questions, comments, concerns, or stories. We’d love to hear from you!