When 'Plan B' Becomes Plan A
By Joe Mariani (08/28/06)
The FDA recently approved making a drug called "Plan B" available over the counter, with no prescription necessary. A woman who takes it up to three days after intercourse can substantially reduce her chance to become pregnant. Thanks to Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA), who strong-armed the agency by blocking the nominations of Lester Crawford and Andrew von Eschenbach as FDA Commissioner, anyone over 18 can walk into a CVS or Rite-Aid and buy it off the shelf. We all know that age restrictions keep cigarettes and alcohol out of the hands of children, so it's sure to work for the "morning after" pill, right?
The drug itself is not a bad thing. Unlike the controversial RU-486, it will not stop a pregnancy once it's begun. The problem is making it available without a prescription, when one is even required for birth control pills. And even the supposed protection of only allowing its sale to those 18 and older is already under assault. A group called The Center for Reproductive Rights (by which is meant Consequence-Free Sex) plans to force the FDA to drop any age restriction whatsoever through lawsuits, and Planned Parenthood has already attacked "the scientifically baseless restriction imposed on teenagers." If I know Planned Parenthood, they'll probably set out candy dishes full of Plan B at their clinics, like M&Ms at a never-ending party. Plan B will soon become the primary contraceptive of choice.
Plan B is merely a tool. Like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. The Left will use this one to promote promiscuous, responsibility-free sex among progressively younger children, part of the plan to accelerate the moral decay we already see around us. Those who would have abstained from sex through fear of pregnancy, or not wanting to go through an abortion, will no longer have these excuses. Plan B not only prevents pregnancy, but prevents the user from having to take any responsibility for choosing whether to have sex. Just pop a pill, and stop worrying.
Of course, there are few better ways to drive Liberals into a foaming-mouthed frenzy than speaking about responsibility, self-restraint and discipline -- especially concerning sex. For some reason, Liberals believe that the more people act like dogs in the street, rutting whenever, wherever and with whom they happen to be when the urge strikes, the more "enlightened" they are. It's getting to the point where the dogs will probably begin complaining about the people problem.
Those on the Left tell us that it's wrong to place moral or legal restrictions on young people having sex -- or abortions, or drugs, or anything to let them escape the responsibilities that go along with it -- because they'll just do it anyway. I don't know why more people don't use that "argument" to attack laws against murder, theft and tax evasion. After all, if people are going to do these things despite the rules, why have any rules at all? The next time I get a speeding ticket, perhaps I'll whip out the "people do it anyway" defense.
All too often, the reason given for having unprotected sex is, "it just happened so quickly," as though feeling an urge is an adequate explanation for lack of restraint. Liberals promote instantaneous gratification as though it were some sort of civil right. More than half of American children have already become sexually active by the time they reach 17, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. The teen pregnancy rate is significantly higher among Americans than in other developed countries, and nearly 80% of teen pregnancies are unplanned. Obviously, there is a problem here, and making it easier to simply get rid of those pregnancies is not the answer. The question we need to ask is, why is sex so devalued among young people that they see no reason for self-discipline?
The problem lies in the general lack of morals and loose standards that encourage such self-destructive behavior. Uninvolved parents allow the Left to indoctrinate the young into their cult of irresponsibility through schools, television and unsupervised use of the internet. If more parents would work harder at parenting, it would be more difficult for Liberals to spread their corruption. Unfortunately, most kids spend their days bombarded by Left-wing propaganda, and nights and weekends climbing mountains of homework. Even with parents willing to reach out, there isn't much time for family interaction these days. It's understandable that parents don't want to waste what little time they spend with their children on lectures. Still, the only way to reclaim the younger generation is for parents to make the time to instill moral values in their children. Schools are not doing that job, nor is it their job to do.
The only good that is likely to come of Plan B's widespread use is a reduction in abortions -- personally, I'd rather see lives never begun than see them killed before birth. The downside, of course, will be a continued diminution of common morality and an increase in sexual activity among teenagers (and younger children), accompanied by a rise in sexually-transmitted diseases among the young.
As sex becomes the meaningless equivalent of a handshake, don't be surprised when your first grader comes home with the clap before learning to write in cursive.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-08_cy-2006_m-08_d-28_y-2006_o-0.html
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