Is Plan B the Most Convenient Solution to Teen Sex?

Yesterday, the FDA decided to allow girls as young as 15 to purchase Plan B without a prescription. Just to be clear Plan B is not merely a preventative birth control pill. It can stop fertilization, and it can be taken up to 72 hours after intercourse to stop the implantation of an already fertilized egg to the uterus; thus, the name Plan B.

I struggle with this FDA decision. When contraception is as convenient as Tylenol in a drug store, are we making the sexual behavior of teenagers more thoughtless and less personal? Are we sending a message that sex is merely a physical act rather than an interpersonal, mutually responsible behavior sex was designed to be?

If a woman chooses to get an abortion from a clinic, she at least has to face another human being that will explain what happened and what will happen if an abortion procedure takes place. But now with Plan B, the young woman has to face no one. She’s not accountable for her actions, and even worse, no one might know if she needs help.

Accountability and responsibility is an important concept in civilized society, and there are consequences to our behavior. Teenagers need to see the consequences of their behavior so they will learn to be mature responsible young people. We’re giving these students the idea that something this significant can be tossed around.

Indeed, what happens inside the bedroom and one’s behavior to his or her body is a private matter. But my 15 year old daughter is having sex, have questions about sex and is about to make a life-changing choice about her body, as a parent and who is responsible to my child, I would like to know about it and be part of that major decision. I’m sure many dads share this feeling with me.

Sometimes it’s better when things aren’t so convenient.

(Originally published in The Good Men Project)