When Health and Politics Collide

Overruling scientists at the Food and Drug Administration, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius decided that young girls shouldn't be able to buy the pill on their own, saying she was worried about confusing 11-year-olds. (Yahoo News)

It should come as no surprise that anything that smacks of being beneficial to women and related to reproductive health would be slapped down hard, but Secretary Sebelius did not even try to come up with a convincing smoke screen for saying no.

The New York Times reported her words slightly differently.  They said that the manufacturer had not proven that there was no risk to 11-year-olds who might take the pill.  As AAP member Dr. Cora Breuner says, "I don't think 11-year-olds go into Rite Aid and buy anything," much less a single pill that costs about $50, which makes the whole argument moot in my opinion.

But even if we step back, it was not all that long ago, that girls as young as 13 were being married and if you were 20, you were considered a spinster.  To ignore the fact that girls as young as 13 are having sex is to ignore the entire body of reproductive science.  Whether or not they should be having sex, with or without the knowledge of their parents is a completely different issue, and one that the American society, with its head in the sand prudishness needs to address sooner, rather than later.

Unwanted pregnancies are going to happen.  Period.  If you think something other than medical science will prevent this, there are studies galore that prove you are ignorant, and incorrect.  Since the male of the species is currently not doing his part, it is up to all of us to ensure that the female of the species has all the tools available to her, without unnecessary obstacles being put in her way.