By Nicole Kobie
Imagine you’re having sex. You and your partner are having an enjoyable time, but the two of you aren’t stupid: the appropriate half of your couple is wearing a condom. You don’t want an std, and you don’t want a pregnancy. You and your friend-you’re responsible. Good for you.
But mistakes happen, no matter how responsible you are. Imagine, now, the condom breaks. Now what? Are you screwed… well, more screwed than before? Aware members of the sexually active crowd know the available options, including the Morning After Pill.
Essentially a super high dose of the hormones used in the birth control pill (estrogen and progesterone), emergency contraceptives prevent women from getting knocked up. In the opinions of some, however, if a woman has already been fertilized, emergency contraceptives offer the equivalent of an extremely early abortion.
It’s this little issue, that these pills might be aborting a child, that could make this pill more difficult to access than you’d think.
Imagine your doctor is a pro-lifer. Hell, imagine it’s a weekend, you’re stuck going to the hospital and the on-call doctor doesn’t believe in abortion. They can actually refuse you the ec. Imagine how you would feel while the doctor lectures you about baby killing, and how you deserve everything you get.
What gives them the right to not give it to you? The most likely reasons for which you’d be refused are ethical or moral ones, or in other words, religious. Talk about being in the wrong business. If you don’t believe in approved medical procedures, why become a doctor? It’s like an anarchist becoming a politician or a vegetarian becoming a meat cutter. They shouldn’t take the job if they know they can’t, or won’t, do it right.
Granted, many doctors probably started practicing before emergency contraceptives even existed. However, as government-funded workers and doctors under oath, their personal beliefs come second. If they can’t hack it, they should quit and join the local priesthood or nunnery.
However, I’d settle for a simple explanation. If a doctor refuses you and your partner an emergency contraceptive, he or she should have to explain why, and then direct you to a more liberal physician. I don’t expect this to happen, as they’re trying to discourage you in the first place. You’ll have to find your own immoral physician. Odds are, the next physician you find will give you the pill.
That’s because most doctors recognize their duty and do their job properly. In fact, some physicians have started giving out "just in case" prescriptions to their sexually active female patients so these situations can be avoided.
There’s talk about moving emergency contraceptives out from under the counter and onto the shelves. Apparently, most legislators and doctors agree it’s a service women should be allowed to access.
Imagine how easy that would be. You and your significant other have an accident. All you’d have to do is drive to your nearest drug store, worry and hassle free… unless, of course, you find an overly moral pharmacist, too.