In order to reduce access to the “morning after” pill, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA in order to prevent them from offering the contraceptive pill, Plan B, to girls under the age of 17 without a prescription. Now, the drug will only be found behind the counter, and will not be sold to anyone under 17 years old without a doctor’s direct orders.

                This new order is completely necessary and beneficial to teenagers in multiple ways.

                Firstly, all teens under the age of 17 are extremely too young to have sex, under any circumstances. Therefore, they’re also too young to buy contraceptives. The pill shouldn’t even be an option to teens that shouldn’t be sexually active in the first place.

                When the effective Plan B pill is left easy to get with just a simple trip to the store, girls automatically assume they are free to do whatever they want without any consequences. Temptation to have sex becomes 10 times stronger when teenagers know they have a fall back plan that will prevent pregnancy. However, what these teens don’t know is that Plan B does not protect either partner from receiving or spreading HIV infection. Teens do not realize that when they participate in sex, pregnancy is not their only enemy.

                Offering young girls an easy to get, reliable contraceptive is a direct invitation to have sex. By telling girls “don’t have sex, but here’s a pill in case,” they are being set to up to essentially have sex without consequences. By keeping teens from freely buying the contraceptive, they are less likely to have careless sex.

                Although the Plan B pill is a great alternative for married couples who encounter an accident and are not prepared for a child, it is not appropriate for young teens to have access to them. By keeping the pill behind the counter and not offering them to girls under 17 without a prescription, teens can learn to be more responsible and refrain from becoming sexually active.