As the date to vote Lester Crawford into the commissioner's position of the Food and Drug Administration comes closer, the debate to make emergency contraception available over-the-counter becomes increasingly discussed.
"The FDA is trying to make a decision whether emergency contraception's place is over-the-counter, " said Jacque De Fouw, The U of M's health educator. "The problem is who can get it."
The FDA has been holding off on making that decision. They are now receiving added pressure from groups around the country to make the vote.
Although the drug has been available through clinics and doctor's offices for several years, resistance has kept it from becoming an over-the-counter pill.
"If you want to have an emergency contraception, you should have a prescription from a doctor," said Jessica Maxey, a freshman anthropology and art major.
She feels the drug is a good thing in some circumstances, such as rape and after other forms of contraception fail, but she worries that making it overly accessible might cause teenagers to be less worried about pregnancy.
However, that might not always be the case.
De Fouw said she has seen several studies, which suggest that the people who would use the drug are people who are already conscious of protection. She said studies have found that it doesn't increase unprotected sex.
De Fouw said the price of the pill - $30 - would probably keep people from using it carelessly when other forms of protection are so much cheaper.
The emergency pill is not as effective as other protective measures. She said this is probably because the longer someone waits to take the pill the more likely it will fail.
De Fouw said the main problem with giving the drug over-the-counter is that it eliminates the counseling.
"There's no return for STI testing," she said. "Most doctor's say 'I want you to come back in two weeks to be tested.'"
Despite some of these fallbacks, De Fouw said she still believes putting it over-the-counter would be mostly a good idea.
She said having it available over-the-counter would give women who need it quicker access to it.
"The longer you wait, the pregnancy incidence is higher," she said. "The sooner the better."
She said there are very few side affects. However, doctors say women who are pregnant or have vascular or heart problems should not take the pill.
Despite the unlikelihood of the pill causing side effects or increasing promiscuity, there are some students who see problems with it being sold over-the-counter.
"I don't feel it should be readily available," said Andrew Reese, a graduate student of teaching.
He feels the drug should remain available through a prescription, which he feels will happen at least through this administration. He thinks it is a less responsible form of birth control, and people would begin using it as a substitute for better protection.
"It would just become a routine method of birth control when there are other methods," he said.
