"Morning after" Chicken Littles
<Cue Maureen McGovern>
There's got to be a morning after...
All right, I'm pro-choice, and I realize that by writing this I'm going to piss off some people who would otherwise be my allies. The FDA has decided not to approve the so-called "morning after" contraceptive for over-the-counter sales. In so doing, they went against the recommendation of a panel of scientific advisers, so I don't doubt for a minute that politics was at work here.
Nonetheless, forgive me if I don't see at a sign of impending apocalypse. A prescription is currently required for standard oral contraception, so the fact that a prescription should be required for what is essentially a mega-dose of the same hormones does not exactly herald a return to the Dark Ages.
I know I'll get angry mail about slippery slopes, stealing a loaf of bread a slice at a time, and boiling a frog in water. Spare me, I've heard 'em all before. And remember, I'm on your side. But those who are doing the whole Chicken Little bit about this peripherally choice-related issue are of the same ilk as the NRA crowd who claim that if you ban howitzers, they'll eventually come for our Daisy Sharpshooter BB guns.
Had the FDA decision gone the other way, I certainly would have had no complaint, but it didn't. It may not be the decision you or I would have made, but it's also not the end of the world. I promise.