The dark underside of the Plan B ruling

When a judge ruled earlier this week that 17-year-old minor girls should be allowed to walk into any drug store and purchase Plan B "emergency contraception" without a prescription and without parental consent, he opened a door, a very dangerous door, to a world where children as young as 12 or 13, maybe even younger, will one day be able to purchase -- or perhaps be coerced to purchase-- the powerful drugs.

The 17-year-olds are garnering the lion's share of the attention in the Plan B ruling right now, as should be the case since they are the ones who will be immediately affected. But somewhat hidden in the language of the 52-page ruling by Judge Edward Korman of the Eastern District of New York is a hint of what's to come if judges and reproductive rights groups are allowed to continue to run roughshod over the FDA, over parents, over the rights of young girls who clearly need counseling and medical intervention if they are in need of emergency contraception.

In his ruling, Korman told the FDA to "reconsider" any restrictions of over-the-counter sales of Plan B to girls and women of any age. Well, the only girls and women who are restricted from buying the megadoses of hormones that make up the Plan B regimen are minor girls under 17. What does it say about our society and about our concern for our children if we would allow a young girl to self-medicate with powerful drugs in hopes of avoiding -- or in some cases ending -- a pregnancy? Young teenagers in most cases do not even have the foresight to choose a healthy diet or wear appropriate clothes on a cold day. What would make us think that a young girl could understand the ramifications of taking megadoses of hormone pills, especially if those pills are sanctioned, even pushed, by the society around them?

We need to get a grip on this issue before it takes our children places they don't need to go. We have no idea what will happen to young girls who take these drugs on a regular basis. We have no way of knowing if sexual abusers will take advantage of the availability of Plan B to hide their crimes. We need to close the door on Plan B now, while there's still time to save our young daughters.