‘Plan B’ pill: Obama plays it safe
The Obama administration canceled plans to make the “morning after” pill freely available to teens.
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
President Obama is playing politics with women’s health, said the Philadelphia Daily News in an editorial. The Obama administration tried to head off a bruising fight with social conservatives last week by canceling plans to make the emergency contraceptive Plan B freely available to teens. The Food and Drug Administration had ruled that the “morning after” pill was safe to be sold over the counter to all females of reproductive age. But, to the dismay of women’s groups, Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled their scientific advisers, on the grounds that it’s unsafe to let younger girls have access to the hormonal drug. So let’s get this straight: Teenage girls aren’t mature enough to take an emergency contraceptive—but they are mature enough to have an abortion or a baby instead? Everyone knows the reason behind this betrayal, said Irin Carmon in Salon.com. The White House feared a 2012 attack ad aimed at parents that would say: “Why does Obama want your innocent little girl to have sex without you knowing?”
It would have been a legitimate question, said Jeneba Ghatt in WashingtonTimes.com. If young teens knew that “there is always Plan B” to erase their sexual mistakes, it would have only encouraged unsafe, promiscuous behavior. The administration’s decision means that parents must consent to any use of Plan B. Making the pill available over the counter would also encourage young girls to “skip regular visits to a physician,” said obstetrician Donna Harrison in NPR​.org. That’s especially dangerous, since sexually active teens are at high risk of contracting STDs. Obama deserves praise, not criticism, for looking out for “the health of our teen daughters.”
In his inaugural address, Obama vowed to “return science to its rightful place” in the country’s decision-making, said Michael Specter in NewYorker.com. It was a widely welcomed promise, after eight years of the Bush administration’s relentless opposition to sex education, programs that distributed condoms here or abroad, and any AIDS- or pregnancy-prevention program that didn’t rely on abstinence. But now Obama has proved himself no better than Republicans who “rewrite facts and suppress findings” to suit their political agenda. If he’s willing to ignore the advice of scientific experts on Plan B, he could easily do the same on global warming, the environment, and other politically costly issues. “Once we start rejecting facts for fiction, does it really matter which facts and which fiction?”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Biden's stumble
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
The daily gossip: Travis Kelce chats about Taylor Swift's Chiefs game visit, Hollywood writers thrilled with details of new contract as strike ends, and more
The daily gossip: September 27, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
The Trump Organization is over
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published