Women on Plan B

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2006 — -- The morning-after pill was approved today for over-the-counter sales, but as the Plan B advertising slogan says, "Things don't always go as planned."

The landmark Food and Drug Administration's decision that allows the drug to be sold without a prescription to women 18 and older hasn't quelled the explosive debate that surrounds Plan B.

Arguments still rage over whether the approved regulations go far enough in giving women access to the pill and whether the pill is contraception or very early abortion.

Proponents of the idea argued that over-the-counter availability would reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions, and give young women more control over their bodies. Conservatives argued that making Plan B available over-the-counter would lead not only to an increase in unwanted pregnancies but also to a rise in sexually transmitted diseases and teenage promiscuity.

However, the focus of that debate has largely been in Washington -- on Capitol Hill -- and inside the lobbying firms on K Street.

Outside the political arena of Washington, where do American women, particularly young women, stand on the issue?

Their position depends largely on where they stood before today's announcement.

Take Jilane Rodgers, a 22-year-old graduate student from Orange County, Calif., who believes the decision is important to her generation.

"I believe the change will make women more comfortable in seeking this type of birth control method," Rodgers said.

Rodgers, however, believes that the age limit in each state should be set to match that state's age-of-consent laws.

"If states think that women are old enough to consent to having sex, they should also see women as mature enough to make this decision about their reproductive health," she said.

And then there is Laura Openshaw, a 22-year-old paralegal in Princeton, N.J., who describes herself as "pro-life." Openshaw believes there isn't enough scientific evidence to help women make a clear decision.