Local OB/GYN OK with Allowing Access to ‘Morning After’ Pill for All Young Women

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The White House Tuesday gave up the fight to keep an age restriction on the Plan B, or morning after pill–and now a local OB/GYN is standing behind that decision.

Some argue letting all young women have over-the-counter access to the pill prevents unintended or unwanted pregnancies, while critics of the decision say it takes away parental authority and gives them and doctors no say when it comes to their child’s reproductive rights. They also say it gives kids the wrong message: de-valuing abstinence and telling kids it’s ok to be irresponsible when it comes to sex.

But Dr. Eric Roddenberry at the Coliseum Medical Center says giving girls access to the pill is a wise move, and keeping them from it poses more risks than just letting them have it.

“About a third of young women in Georgia are sexually active by the time they’re 14 years old,” says Roddenberry. “Those times when you make a bad decision and you say ‘I need to take precautions,’ I think it’s a good thing to have available.”

Roddenberry believes some are overblowing the dangers of young girls having access to the Plan B One-Step pill, saying abortions and pregnancy are more dangerous than the preventive drug itself.

“I think that they’re exaggerating the risk of the drug compared to the risk of an unintended pregnancy because if you have an unintended pregnancy and you go through the pregnancy then you have all the risks that are associated with pregnancy.”

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