Should Plan B pills be available in vending machines?

The health center at Pennsylvania's Shippenburg University installs a controversial new unit to dispense emergency contraceptives for students

Best Opinion:  The Frisky, Bloomberg Businessweek, Jezebel

Vending machines already dispense everything from iPods to live crabs. Now, a new dispenser at Shippenburg University's health center in Pennsylvania is selling morning after pills to students for $25 a pop. The private clinic is only accessible to registered Shippenberg students who are required to check-in at a front desk, thus deterring those under the legal age of 16 from using it. The idea is to expedite the process by giving young women already seeking the pill an alternative to going off campus. But are college health officials crossing a line by making the drug so readily available? 

It's a "brilliant" move: The Plan-B pill "is most effective if taken within five days of unprotected sex," says Jessica Wakeman at The Frisky. So — "the sooner the better." A machine not only provides a degree of privacy, but takes away "a lot of frantic scrambling at an already stressful time." All in all, it means fewer unwanted pregnancies and thus fewer abortions — something that "both anti-abortion folks and pro-choice folks can all agree on."
Brilliant Idea: PA College Dispensing Plan B From Vending Machines

But it might not be a good idea: This is part of a trend "with serious pitfalls" in which consumers can buy drugs "without interface with a pharmacist or doctors," Alexandra Stern, a professor of the history of medicine at the University of Michigan tells Bloomberg Businessweek. After all, medical professionals — even those behind a pharmacy counter — are there for a reason, especially when it comes to helping young people choose the right course of action.
"Pa. vending machine dispenses 'morning-after' pill"

Well, it's a start: Are you kidding me? It's not like students will be picking up their contraceptives "where they get their Twix," says Anna North at Jezebel. "Basically, it sounds like the school has found a simple, semi-private" and affordable way for students to get "a very safe medication that can prevent pregnancy." The only other "real solution" would be to just make emergency contraceptives available over the counter for everyone. But "that's not happening anytime soon."
"University Scandalizes Everyone With Whorish Plan B Vending Machine"

 

 

Sharing passwords: A dangerous new teen trend?

The joy of intimacy, the thrill of tempting heartache, the angst of concerned parents: Is "pre-marital password sharing" the new teen sex?

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours" used to mean something risqué between two kids in love. Now, according to The New York Times, it implies something more revealing but less exciting: Swapping passwords. A recent Pew survey found that 30 percent of... More

New York's new safe-sex campaign: 'Too raw'?  

A taxpayer-financed, teen-created ad campaign introduces New York adults to the term "raw dogging" — and not everyone is eager to be enlightened

A New York nonprofit called Community Health Network had a novel idea to educate inner-city teenagers about safe sex, sexually transmitted infections, and respect for people's sexual boundaries: Have inner-city teens create public-service announcements, then post... More

Should Plan B be as easy to get as aspirin?

Health advocates demand that women under 17 be allowed to buy emergency contraception without a prescription. But the feds swat down their request

On Wednesday, the feds decided not to scrap regulations that require young teens to obtain a prescription before purchasing the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill. Currently, the contraceptive is available without a prescription to women 17 and older. Younger... More

Do women sext more than men?

A provocative (and, some say, problematic) new study finds that two-thirds of surveyed women have sent nude photos or sexts

In the never-ending battle of the sexes, women seem to have won the latest digital round: Researchers say that women are more likely to engage in sexting than men. A new study, provocatively titled Let My Fingers Do the Talking: Sexting and Infidelity in Cyberspace... More

Is marriage a dying institution?

Even the founder of online matchmaker eHarmony says couples planning to take the plunge should reconsider

Judging by the statistics, marriage has seen better days. Census figures indicate that for the first time ever, married couples make up fewer than half of American households, and a Pew survey late last year found that an increasing number of people believe marriage... More