Emergency Contraception Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Emergency Contraception There are many myths surrounding the use of emergency contraception. The question of what it is and when to use it is just a fraction of the controversy surrounding this arguably new practice. Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy after the act of unprotected sexual intercourse. It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. However, emergency contraception can not be obtained without a prescription. Why does the US government not trust women with the choice of making sure they do not get pregnant after having unprotected sex? If abortion is a choice and abortion terminates a life, why can women not have the choice to make sure they do not need an abortion? What is wrong with preventing an unwanted pregnancy? There are two types of emergency contraception, pills (ECP's) or copper T intrauterine devices (IUD). There are two distinct pill types, the brand name "Preven" and the brand name "Plan B". Preven contains the same hormones as regular birth control, estrogen and progestin. (1) It causes more instances of nausea and vomiting than Plan Bs, and decreases the chances of pregnancy by 75%. However, Preven can be used as an ongoing form of birth control. Plan B only contains the hormone progestin. It is more effective, decreasing chances of pregnancy by 89%, and has less of a chance for side effects. (1) These pills can be taken immediately after the sex, or up to 72 hours later. (2). The other form of emergency contraception, IUD, can be inserted up to five days after the unprotected sex and is more effective than the pills (99% decreased chance of pregnancy). (1) An IUD can be left in for up to 10 years as a form of birth control, but in some cases can lead to pe... ...e. The American government still denies the request for these to be readily available for American women. Why is this so? In a country where abortion is such a moral issue, you would think that an alternative to having to end a life would be widely welcomed by all sides of the issue. WWW Sources 1) emergency contraception at princeton http://ec.princeton.edu/info/eciud.html 2) teen forum on ec, myth/fact based site http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.cfoc.org/3_teen/3_emergency.cfm 3) publication paper, stand on emergency contraception http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.amwa-doc.org 4) ec connection, valuable resource http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.ecconnection.org 5) plannedparenthood, good price list http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f03/web1/www.plannedparenthood.com