Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved over the counter availability of the so-called “Plan B” pill to women aged 18 and over.

Many in the medical community praised the decision, but to those of us who are pro-life — those that believe that indeed life begins at conception — this is yet another troubling setback. Many of the arguments made for OTC availability simply do not hold up to the facts.

First of all, many claim that Plan B, which can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse, is not a form of abortion but rather contraception, since it simply stops a pregnancy from occurring. However, according to medical studies, Plan B can in fact terminate a newly formed embryo depending upon when it is taken and thus act as an abortifacient. Before people just pop this pill like an Advil, they should know that fact.

Secondly, supporters of OTC availability argue that this will help curb the number of abortions, hoping to reach out and find common ground with pro-lifers. However, studies show that widespread availability of this pill does virtually nothing to lower the abortion rate. For instance, in Washington state, a pilot program was launched between February 1998 and June 1999 that allowed women to obtain Plan B over the counter without a prescription. Although the abortion rate dropped about five percent during this time, that was the exact same as the drop in the national rate as well, showing that the pill had very little, if any, significance on the number of abortions. According to a piece in National Review by Susan Wills, similar studies were done in California, Scotland and Sweden, and the findings were all the same: there is no measurable impact on either the abortion rate or the teenage pregnancy rate when Plan B is more widely available.

Finally, despite what the FDA says, it is not entirely clear that the pill is safe. According to research from the American Pharmaceutical Association, the dosage of Plan B and other emergency contraception pills can be as much as 10 times the daily dose of oral contraceptive pills in a 12-hour period. This is alarming. Even those who support OTC availability admit that Plan B is not something that should be used long-term or often, as it can dramatically alter a woman’s menstrual cycle. There have been many adverse effects recorded with respect to the use of this pill, including 28 cases of entopic pregnancy and reports of convulsions as well.

I recently noticed that in the campus publication InnerVU, Vanderbilt clearly explains how women can obtain this “emergency contraception” at the Student Health Center. However, under the FAQs about the pill, they say nothing about the high dosage of hormones that the pill contains or the fact that in some cases the pill can actually serve as an abortifacient. This is unfortunate. It is important for women to know all the facts about Plan B before deciding to use it. So, I encourage everybody to look at all the information closely before making such an important decision.

Chris Donnelly is a junior in the College of Arts & Science.