Obama, Sebelius reject proposal based on fears of political backlash
Now that Rick Santorum is being taken seriously by the media, contraception is suddenly a part of our national political conversation. The last real mention of it was in 1965, when the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that banning contraception violated the right to privacy. In Saturday's debate, Mitt Romney brushed the issue aside as irrelevant, because "no state wants to" ban contraception. That may be true, but it doesn't mean the whole issue is moot. Current law does not treat all forms of contraception equally, and the policy of the current administration severely restricts access to one form in particular.
The consequences of Obama and Sebelius's decision extend beyond teenagers. Because its sale is partly restricted, the drug itself is kept behind pharmacy counters. I used to work as a pharmacy technician at a CVS Pharmacy. A pharmacist I worked for refused to sell Plan B to men, arguing that, for all he knew, they were buying it for an underage girl (ignoring the fact that women aren't necessarily buying it for themselves, either). Texas newspapers reported recently that pharmacists at two CVS stores had ignited controversy employing the same policy. Imagine needing emergency contraception, sending your boyfriend or husband to get it for you while you're at work, and he's turned away. For you, the clock keeps ticking. A coworker of mine refused to sell it at all, which was fine so long as someone else there would. But what happens if an entire pharmacy staff refuses?
Obama and Sebelius need to reverse their decision and make Plan B available to anyone, without a prescription. And candidates for president who "can't imagine" access to birth control being restricted should be asked why that doesn't apply to one of the most vital and urgent forms of contraception. Plan B needs to be brought out from behind the counter and put on a shelf so women's health decisions can be controlled by women — not subject to the whims of judgmental pharmacists or pandering politicians.
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