Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt: Emergency contraceptives should require a doctor's visit

To the editor: This week the members of the State Assembly again voted on legislation that would allow for the sale of emergency contraceptives without a physical evaluation. As in previous years, I voted against this bill because I believe it is bad for the families of New York State. Emergency Contraception (known as “Plan B”) consists of two pills, taken 12 hours apart, which have a higher dose of hormones than birth control pills. Under the proposed legislation, licensed physicians, certified nurse practitioners and licensed midwives can prescribe and order a non-patient specific order to a registered nurse or pharmacist. Removing a physician or a certified nurse practitioner from the evaluation process may expose many women in New York to possible negative health benefits of hormone therapy. As a mother, I feel that parents should be supportive of their children and be there for them in times of need. However, emergency contraceptives undermines the parent-child trust by allowing children of any age to have access to powerful hormonal drugs that could do serious, irreversible damage to their bodies. With the greater availability of emergency contraceptives, teenagers may feel a false sense of security and begin to be more promiscuous, have more unprotected sex, thus putting themselves at a tremendous risk of dangerous sexually transmitted diseases. Another scary aspect of this legislation is that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still gathering information on whether girls under the age of 16 can safely use “Plan B” without treatment by a physician. Some people contend that emergency contraceptives or agents can alter the lining of the uterus so that the already-fertilized egg will be unable to implant. In younger girls, this can do irreversible damage and prevent them from ever being able to have children later in life. I voted against this legislation because it places no restrictions on the age of buyers and it allows females to purchase this hormone drug without being evaluated by a physician. I believe most parents in this state would concur when I say that children should not have access to dangerous prescription drugs without parental notification or at the very least a physician’s knowledge. Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt (R-C-Greenwood Lake)