Reproductive Politics

In late November of this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a policy statement on emergency contraception that is sure to be rejected outright by the pro-life community. Emergency contraception (EC) is just that-- various pharmacologic methods of preventing pregnancy up to 120 hours after unprotected or under-protected sex. Plan B and ella are two well-known brands of emergency contraceptives; there are three major chemical methods for achieving the desired result. As it is now, most states require that adolescents under the age of 17 get a doctor's prescription to obtain emergency contraception. Given that EC works best the earlier it is taken, the prescription requirement could delay its effective use, or prevent a teen from accessing it altogether. As a result, the AAP published its policy statement as part of an attempt to continue to lower the teen birth rate in the United States. Their major recommendations are "encourage" doctors to e...