I have never written about feminist issues because I am not a woman. That said, I have two wonderful daughters who are smart, witty and I can say with certainty that my 20-year old is a dyed-in-the-wool feminist.
I write this because I started educating myself about a drug called Plan B that is pending FDA approval. After scouring reading materials on the drug, I am stunned at the disinformation campaign some right wing nuts and religious zealots have unleashed to politically pressure the FDA into withholding it's approval to make Plan B an over-the-counter and accessible birth control drug.
Of course the zealots are equating the Plan B to RU-486! Are these zealots mad? I can understand anti-abortion radicals going against RU-486 but Plan B is not the same. The science is different, the chemistry is not the same and Plan B does not even remotely come close to affecting a fertilized egg.
Plan B is a high concentration of regular birth control pills which essentially has been available since the 1960's. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that can still prevent a pregnancy after contraceptive failure or unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is a backup method for preventing pregnancy and is not for routine use. Plan B can reduce your chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex.
Plan B is used to prevent pregnancy, it will not work if you are already pregnant, and it will not affect an existing pregnancy. Despite all the medical and scientific facts, there are still zealots and morons who oppose making it freely available over-the-counter because they claim it will lead to promiscuity and abortions.
The right wing nuts who say there is no global warming and that mercury emission standards should be abolished are the very same idiots who are trying to pressure the political appointees at the FDA to ignore science in favor of their twisted sense of morals.
So here's the deal, send email to your congress people and senators and ask them to tell the FDA to approve Plan B as an over-the-counter drug and support BitchPhD's campaign to get the drug approved as an over-the-counter item not an across-the-counter drug. The distinction is critically important.
Other bloggers who support this campaign include:
Even as a dad who does not want to think of my daughters getting pregnant at a young age, I worry much more about making it difficult for them to control their bodies and destinies. After all, I am raising smart and independent women who can manage their own destinies.
Oh... BTW, go the Bitch PhD's GoodStorm store and buy BitchPhD's Plan B shirt!
Also if you're woman who needs emergency contraception, go to the Emergency Contraception Website. Plan B is better than being sorry for a pregnancy you do not want.
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