Plan B removes sex consequences

Is the recent controversy about the "morning-after pill" really a controversy over scientific research? No one in the White House or the Bush administration is contesting the fact that the "Plan B" pill is relatively safe. However, the statement that "by opposing contraceptives that prevent abortions, both are actually supporting more abortions" ("Abortion Vocabulary," Sept. 14) is ludicrous. The real issue here is not whether it is safe to make the "morning-after" pill an over-the-counter medication, but whether or not it is responsible to give all women access to such a drug. Making this drug easily accessible for teens as well as all other women does the same thing that abortion tries to do: remove the consequences of sex.

Allowing this drug to become over-the-counter means that underage sex, unprotected sex, and one-night stands are now without consequence. Passing the bill to make Plan B an over-the-counter drug slides our nation closer, inch by inch, to becoming a loose and immoral country. The reason why every American can say that they live in the greatest land in the world is because our founding fathers placed the building blocks of our Constitution on a moral foundation. Part of this foundation is our judicial system, which establishes a consequence for actions that warrant it. This is a central theme, and an incredibly important one in the United States. However, we have begun to lose sight of this ideal as a nation. We all have heard the stories of the girls who get pregnant in high school, drop out, and spend the rest of their lives without reaching any form of success. However, is the solution to this problem telling the girls how to have sex and get away with it? No, the solution to the problem is by improving parenting classes and showing kids what happens when they have sex. These kids need to learn responsibility and they need to realize that when they have sex, they accept the consequences. Of course, there are situations in which the "morning-after pill" may make sense and be appropriate. But, the people in this situation still have access to the drug: they can go to their doctor. The current system of "Plan B" as a prescription drug makes sense, and should not be tampered with.