Emergency contraception is not about abortion. And neither is the debate about whether to allow its sale without a prescription.

Despite contortions of the facts to the contrary, Plan B, a morning-after pill used for emergency contraception, does not end a pregnancy. The pill, which is essentially a high dose of the hormones found in birth control pills, prevents ovulation and stops the fertilization of the egg. It may also prevent an egg from implanting in a woman’s uterus, which is the medical definition of pregnancy.

The Food and Drug Administration heard arguments Tuesday from both supporters and opponents of allowing Plan B to be sold over the counter. The government must decide whether to change the drug’s status.

Scientific evidence and common sense says it should. Plan B should be available to women quickly and without a visit to a doctor.

The drug can be highly effective when taken soon after unprotected sex. It can prevent an unwanted pregnancy almost 90 percent of the time. According to the FDA, the pills should be taken within 72 hours of intercourse, but the sooner the better. Around the holidays and on the weekends and for women without health insurance, visiting a doctor for a prescription can waste valuable time and be prohibitively expensive.

In general, the FDA allows a drug to be sold over the counter if it is safe and the directions are simple enough to follow after reading the label. The FDA says this drug is very safe and reports few side effects even after use by 2.4 million women in the United States and abroad. As for the directions, a user takes two pills. The second 12 hours after the first.

Plan B – so named because it is a backup plan when the first method of birth control fails – should be approved for over the counter sales.

It is safe, effective and can help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. That’s a goal everyone should be able to work toward.


Cute, cuddly, dangerous
It’s hard not to coo a little and ahhh a lot about the bear cub that was saved by a good Samaritan in Upton.

Cyndy Scribner found the cub in distress and, after giving it food for a couple of days, decided the animal was in danger and took it home. The bear has since been turned over to the Maine Warden Service for rehabilitation.

Word of the rescue is buzzing around water coolers, and there are plenty of ideas for this young bear’s future: a children’s book or a job as a spokesbear for this group or that cause.

But the best idea is for the bear to eventually return to the wild.

Scribner took a terrible risk by interacting with the cub. She easily could have been injured or upset the bear’s place in nature.

This time, the story has a happy ending. But caution should always be the rule of thumb when dealing with wild animals, even when they look cute and cuddly.


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