My article was about an advocacy group in New York that accused Obama and his administration of making decisions based about politics instead of scientific studies. Obama's administration just recently vetoed the idea of having girls 16 and under to have access to emergency contraceptives without a prescription. In the past, the FDA did scientific research about this and decided that it is okay for girls 16 and under to purchase emergency contraceptives like Plan-B over the counter. Knowing this, Obama's administration still decided to veto this.
I found a source, (http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/barack-obama/11/abortion-and-birth-control/16/), that stated that Obama strongly supported keeping abortion legal, and also supports emergency contraceptives. If Obama supports emergency contraceptives, there would be no reason for him and his administration to veto this. In a related article, it said, "Critics assert that Sebelius' decision was intended to avert a bruising political battle over parental control and contraception during a presidential election season." (Sebelius is Obama's top health official who was also involved in the decision) This is the argument that the advocacy group is making; that if Obama's administration vetoed this, even though Obama strongly believes in emergency contraceptives and abortion, it must be because he is making his decision based on his own political benefits, instead of the scientific research that was done.
If Obama supports the right to an abortion and emergency contraceptives, do you think the decision by Obama's administration to veto the FDA's ruling to allow Plan-B was based strictly on political reasons? What do you think some other reasons could be for the veto?
In your opinion, should the Plan-B contraceptive be available over the counter to girls 16 and under? Why or Why not?
Sources:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/ny_advocacy_group_slams_obama_on_40OLhA9PzY8OwB4o0c333O
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bloomberg_criticizes_health_sec_fbbum2lW7EFYCV62vXsgkJ
http://glassbooth.org/explore/index/barack-obama/11/abortion-and-birth-control/16/
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ReplyDeleteIf Obama supports abortion and emergency contraceptives, I think he should allow anyone to have access to the contraceptives. If the FDA approves the drug as safe for girls under the age of sixteen, then they should have access to it. I think Obama's administration's decision to veto the bill was not strictly political, but I think politics had something to do with it. I believe it has to do with the idea of girls under sixteen being sexually active. I don't think the administration doesn't want these girls to have access to the drug, I think it has something to do with the feeling that they are encouraging girls under sixteen that being sexually active at that age is normal. It also may have been vetoed because of the thought of abuse of the contraceptive. Maybe the administration thinks that if this drug is available, it will be used too often, and not used for emergencies.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the Plan-B contraceptive should be available for girls under the age of sixteen, because the truth is some girls that age are sexually active, so they should have the same right as other girls and women that are sexually active. Also, if girls under sixteen have to have a written doctor's prescription for the drug, it may be too late to prevent the pregnancy by the time the prescription is processed and administered. I would rather girls under sixteen have the opportunity to purchase Plan-B than get pregnant. An unwanted pregnancy is unhealthy for the potential parents and the child.
I agree with Alexis, I think that if the FDA did an experiment and said that the contraceptive was completely safe for girls 16 and under, Obama should let these girls have access to the drug. I don’t think this decision was based purely on politics, but I do believe they took part in it. Like Alexis mentioned, the government doesn’t like the idea of girls under the age of 16 being sexually active, so maybe he thinks that the fact that they can’t purchase the drug will steer them away from being sexually active. Another reason I think the government vetoed this bill because they don’t want this drug to be abused. There are other pills out there that are cheaper and easier for kids to overdose on, that don’t normally have age restrictions on them, such as Tylenol. Since the contraceptive drug is relatively expensive, for someone who doesn’t have a lot of money it would be stupid to abuse that type of drug because of its price.
ReplyDeleteI think that the plan b drug should be available to girls under the age of 16 over the counter because like Alexis mentioned, it’s not unknown that girls 16 and under are out there having sex, so why shouldn’t they be protected from accidental pregnancy like girls over 18? If anything, it would be worse to get pregnant when you’re younger versus when you’re older because most 16 year old girls can’t afford to have a baby, and take care of it. Also, they aren’t mature enough to make smart decisions about their future.
I agree strongly with Alexis and Sid, If Obama supports abortion and emergency contraceptives, I think he should allow anyone to have access to the contraceptives. Taken into consideration that the FDA approves that the plan B contraceptive is safe for girls under the age of 16, therefore, they should be able to have the pill. The way Obama wants it, is making very unfair to women. Girls of 16 or younger who have unprotected sex- need to be able to take care of their bodies; by the time they contact their doctors for a prescription, it could be too late to prevent the pregnancy. As Alexis said, an unwanted pregnancy is unhealthy for the potential parents and the child. They should have to chance to prevent the pregnancy. If they are available to take birth control and prevent pregnancy in the first place, they should have the right to access and emergency contraception pill for urgent cases. Obama’s decision to veto it was based off of political tactics. It’s not that the government doesn’t think it’s safe for the girls, it’s that they don’t want to believe that girls are sexually active at 16 and because they want the drug to be strictly for emergencies only.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of what Alexis, Sydney, and Allie said. I agree that since Obama does support abortion and using emergency contraceptives, he should not limit who can use them. Like Allie said, he is being unfair to some women by not agreeing to let anyone use it. Obama is basically supporting abortion for women over the age of 16 but not women under the age of 16. This does not make sense to me because women under the age of 16 are the ones who need it most because they are not financially and emotionally ready to care for a child. I feel that politics may have played a role in his decision to veto. I think he was not comfortable with the fact that girls under 16 are sexually active. However, just because he is not comfortable with them being sexually active, it doesn't mean they are not. Because many girls under 16 are sexually active, I feel that if plan b is available to women over 16 it should also be available to women under 16. I think this is important because everyone should get equal rights to use it if needed. In saying all that, I personally don't think girls under 16 should be sexually active; however, there is not really any way to stop it. With that in mind, I think plan b should be available girls under 16 because stopping a pregnancy is better than having a child being raised without the proper maturity and financial and emotional state.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my classmates above. If the FDA approves this drug as safe for sixteen and under girls then I see no reason for girls not to have it. I think that the decision to veto the bill was not fully political. I think that the reason the bill was vetoed was because the administrators could not think of the fact that some sixteen year olds and some girls younger than that are sexually active. Girls that are younger who are sexually active should have the right to the Plan B contraceptive. By cutting off this contraceptive for younger women, it will not stop them from being sexually active, but the girls will have a higher chance of getting pregnant without the contraceptive.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the Plan B contraceptive should be allowed to girls under sixteen because it will protect the girls from getting pregnant at a young age when they aren't able to make strong decisions.
I agree with everyone that has commented so far. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that President Obama has vetoed the bill allowing girls ages sixteen and under to purchase Plan-B (without a prescription.) I feel that this drug is especially important to girls of that age because often they are uneducated about sex and may not take the proper precautions that say an older woman would. I do, however, think that this may get young girls thinking more about having sex. If they take into account that there may be no fallback if they have unprotected sex, then maybe they will think more carefully before they do it and take the necessary steps to protect themselves. On another note, I do not feel that this decision is completely political. If President Obama was truly trying to limit women's, rights, this was not the bill to act on. Not only does this limit women's rights, but I feel that it limits men's rights as well. If two people, both ages sixteen or under, are having unprotected sex, than this bill surely limits both of those people's rights. It takes two to tango, both the man and the women are both in it together, whether they want to be or not. Granted, the women would be carrying the baby, but it would be as much the man's responsibility as it was the woman's. To sum up, this drug could be utilized by young girls everywhere; I see no reason why President Obama has vetoed the bill to not allow Plan-B to girls ages sixteen and under.
ReplyDeleteAs my other classmates have stated I do not agree with Obama's decision. Emergency contraceptives should be available to girls under the age of sixteen. I think as long as Obama restricts these girls from obtaining Plan B with out a prescription is a bad decision because as Nate said that age is when girls and even boys not only may be uneducated about sex, but may also be careless and not make good decisions. I agree with Crystal when she said that she thinks Obama vetoed the bill because he does not approve of girls under the age of sixteen having sex. Although he may believe that such an act is immoral, the reality is that it does happen. Not allowing these girls to have Plan B over the counter can also be unfair in emergency situations, as if the girl had had sex unwillingly or was forced to (rape). This bill is constricting not only the girl's rights but the boy's as well, as Nate said. Emergency Contraceptives should be available to girls under the age of sixteen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone above me, Obama made the wrong choice in vetoing the bill. It is something the FDA says is safe for girls under 16, and he is a strong supporter of it, so the only reason would be political. Like people have said, many girls 16 and under are sexually active, with the age of consent being 16 in many states. It makes more sense to let younger girls have access to emergency contraception like plan B because they are less capable than older people to take care of a kid. Younger people tend not to think of the future as much as the present.
ReplyDeleteI think that Obama's decision was not political at all. I think that by him vetoing the law, that he was trying to keep some type of reputation. A reputation that does not promote youth intercourse, but in my opinion it almost promotes youth pregnancies. Teens will be teens and have sex whether they have all the protection they need or do not know. But by making a pill that could save a youth relation ship from becoming pregnant unavailable to these people is unfair. America complains about how many teen pregnancies there are but here we are denying these teenage relationships the opportunity to lower the chances of a pregnancy. Agreeing with Alexis, i believes that Obama is not acceptive of the fact that sixteen year old girls and boys are having sex. I also agree with Sydney though. Obama maybe wanted to keep these drugs limited so they aren't abused because any drug can be abused.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Plan B should be bought without prescription. Like Alexis said, it would be too late for the pill to even work by the time you set the appointment. It is an emergency contraceptive for a reason; key word, emergency. When you call 911 because of an emergency, you are expecting to be treated before it is too late and someone dies. It is almost the same idea. A girl comes in and needs to use these pills to stop from things getting bad (pregnancy). No one should be denied the right to be treated in an emergency situation of any kind. And, along with Nate this vetoed law affects guys to because they are just a part of pregnancy as the girl. Neither should the guy or girl be punished for something that is hard to control because of attraction and their hormones, whether it was safe or unsafe. sex.
I agree with what most people have said previously but I especially agree with Nate because I also believe that this drug is especially important to girls of a younger age because often people do not take the proper precautions when they are sexually active because they do not understand the possible consequences of their actions. Also I agree with what Sydney said because I think that the government does not want people to be sexually active; however, just because they do not allow this drug to be purchased without a prescription does not make teens less sexually active. I think that Obamas veto if this law was partially political but also I do not think that he would deny the country of a law that he actually thought would be beneficial. I think that this bill was probably vetoed because he didn’t want to make it seem like the government was supporting teen sex. I personally think that this drug should be approved for purchase without a prescription because it will lower teen pregnancy rates and I believe that believe that would be beneficial to our country.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with my above classmates about this issue. Although I believe that Obama's veto on Plan B was not based 100% on politics, it was probably partially based on it. Like what Alexis said, the administration probably doesn't want to encourage girls to be sexually active. If they are just handing out contraceptives (buying of course), then girls would not worry as much about having sex and becoming impregnated. Also, having these pills be available over the counter could lead to drug abuse because they are easily accessible. The administration has their reasons for vetoing it. But in my opinion, I believe that Plan B should be available over the counter. If it required a prescription, then it might take too long and might be too late to work. Sometimes people make mistakes and accidents happen. Becoming pregnant can ruin a girl's life. It could lead them to dropout to take care of the child. Then their whole future is ruined. Just one mistake can destroy their life. That's why I believe that Plan B should be made available over the counter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone prior that said that Obama’s decision to veto allowing Plan-B to be available to everyone was the wrong choice. I do not think that the decision was completely political. The legal age to have sex is sixteen and having this product available to everyone could make under aged and unprotected sex more acceptable because the drug is not fully understood by most people. People may abuse the drug just like any other drug if it is more available because they will always have that way out of it. I think that the bill was vetoed is because of moral reason and it could promote underage sex.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Plan-B contraceptive should be available over the counter to girls under sixteen because it is taking responsibility for their actions. Just like how condoms can be bought at any age because when they are bought the person is being responsible so I believe that the Plan-B contractive should be available.
I do agree with the comments above, that Obama's decision about Plan-B was the wrong choice. Like many people have stated there are younger girls and boys becoming sexually active each day, and with that there are many poor decisions made. A possible reason for Obama vetoing this is that he may not want to seem like he is encouraging younger girls to be sexually active. Although this is a good reason, there are many girls that are raped and this pill could help them to not become pregnant, as Andrea said, but if they have to wait for a prescription it may be too late. So I do think that Plan-B should be sold over the counter to girls that are sixteen and younger.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the research you have displayed showing that Obama is indeed for the medication called plan B but then goes against his former feelings to make it illegal for females under the age of sixteen to get over the counter I have to believe that it was a political decision. With the elections coming up I think Obama made this chose to make it a non controversial issue for those who do not believe in a abortion. But I believe this is just more controversial because the FDA who has proven to be accurate and trustworthy stated that the plan b is in no danger to women and do not kill any living human just lower the chance of pregnancy. I believe that plan b should be available to all women who chose that it is the right chose for them to use it, its their life they should have the choice to do what they want and the government should not be able to stop them if this pill is truly that safe.
ReplyDeleteI do think that Obama's administration vetoed the FDA's approval of emergency contraceptives to be given over-the-counter to anyone that needs them was for political reasons because Obama supports emergency contraceptives as well as abortion. Like Mike said, Obama doesn't want controversy about this issue. Especially during a "presidential election season". Parents would definitely have something to say if Obama permitted girls of all ages to purchase Plan B over the counter because it has to do with their young daughters. It also makes girls feel like it is more accessible, so it's more okay to have unprotected sex because there's an easy fix. And I'm sure most parents wouldn't be too fond of that. There could be other reason's for Obama's decision however. Just because he supports abortion and contraceptives, it doesn't necessarily means he supports people sixteen and under engaging in sexual activity. He could be doing this to prevent pregnancies by showing girls that Plan B will not be easily accessible and they will need a prescription for it. Which causes a huge problem because there is only a short amount of time in which you can take the pill after conception for it to be affective. This shows girls, and their partners, that there won't be an easy fix and abortion will be the only other option. In my opinion, Plan B should be allowed over the counter to girls sixteen and under. I believe this because things happen. Teenagers make a lot of mistakes and consuming an emergency contraceptive is much less life-impacting than having a child. Therefore, I believe it is perfectly fine for anyone to be able to purchase Plan B over the counter. Also, the FDA's scientific research proves it's biologically safe as well.
ReplyDeleteI believed it was vetoed because of political reasons, and also to back up Obamas previous ideas. But more importantly i believe that plan b should be allowed over the counter to people under the age of 16 due to the fact that if they have a kid, chances are his/her life will be ruined. Having a teen parents isnt easy and its better to just prevent the baby from being born and having a terrible life. Its the most efficient way and isnt as bad as abortion.
ReplyDeleteI think that like many other classmates have said Obama vetoed this for political reasons. This also ties into what Jurnee said about his reputation. If Obama wants to be reelected he needs to protect his reputation. He is doing this because making Plan-B available over the counter to girls under 16 could be seen as advocating teen sex and/or unprotected sex. Even though he supports abortion and contraceptives having what could be a controversial law passed the year before an election it could hurt his chances.
ReplyDeleteI think Plan-B should be available because you need to take it relatively quickly and you don't necessarily have time to get a doctors appointment to get a prescription. Then when the girl gets pregnant she either has to get an abortion which a lot of people oppose or she must go through the difficulties of having a child which is even harder if your only 15 or 16 or even younger so I think Plan-B should be available over the counter.
I think it is unfair to say that Obama made a decision purely based on selfish motives, because it cannot be proven. I can see how people would think that, but because the majority of the country voted for him and elected him as our president, I believe it is our duty, or at bare minimum a hope, that we should trust our president and his ethics. The best reason I could think of for him to veto it is maybe he didn't like the way a phrase was worded or there was a discrepancy over how much one person could buy. I believe that Plan-B should be available to girls over the counter because I am a big believer in people having the freedom to make choices, and if those girls want to buy Plan-B, then so be it. I do not think that allowing girls to get Plan-B would necessarily promote more sexual behavior, but I think we should do all we can to keep these girls in schools or in the labor force, rather than at home with a child who is stunting the life achievement possibilitees for the girls.
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