HOW ABOUT THE MORNINGS BEFORE PILL?

by Virginia Postrel  •  Dec 17, 2003 at 9:02 am

http://www.dynamist.com/652/how-about-the-mornings-before-pill

Now that the FDA is poised to approve the morning-after pill as an over-the-counter drug, I will again harp on one of my favorite causes: The plain old every-day-before birth control pill should be available over the counter. Here's a piece on the subject by Sara Rimensnyder, then an editor at Reason:

Why should women have to get a physician's permission to take the Pill? After all, if it really is a woman's body, a woman's right, why do they have to defer to a doctor?

"Too dangerous!" say most gynecologists, when taking a break from the rigorous schedule of 15-minute breast and pelvic exams that they require for a prescription. These exams can cost hundreds of dollars, effectively pricing many women out of the market. "Too dangerous!" say many on the left, who demonize pharmaceutical companies as outfits that would just as soon poison consumers as help them. "Too dangerous!" say many on the right, who are uncomfortable with female sexuality, especially when unshackled from "nature's" strictures.