Alyssa Chambers
Guest Columnist

As probably you have noticed, over the past few months Mesa County Family Planning has been handing out condoms and Plan B in the ACB building of Mesa State College. The popular debate of whether or not contraceptives should be provided in an educational environment has been vindicated for years.
More conservatives argue that distributing contraceptives promotes and encourages sex. Conversely, a liberal group say that most students are sexually active and the distribution of condoms only acts as a gesture to further protect the student body. Both are very ambiguous arguments that deserve to be considered. However, there lies a deeper, more significant issue.
By simply presenting a photo I.D. verifying that they’re of age, Mesa County Family Planning will supply the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, to both female and male students. Levonorgestrel (Plan B) is a pill manufactured for women to help prevent pregnancy after birth control failure or unprotected sex. Therein lies the question, why would this pill be distributed to male students in the first place? The distribution of Plan B to men is not only irresponsible because they are not the person who is going to actually be consuming it, but it’s also quite dangerous because who is to know how that male intends to use the drug? Can we safely assume that he will be supplying the drug to a female? And will he do so with or without the females consent? Or will he perhaps force or trick his partner into consuming the pill, in order to avoid a pregnancy as a result of their prior actions? Will this type of behavior spark acts of violence against women, (a whole other story in itself)?
The use of this drug is physically inconsequential to males, so it may be easy for them to act recklessly with it. However, the use of Plan B in women is far from inconsequential. Levonorgestrel is proven to prevent possible pregnancies, but it’s also been shown to cause severe headaches and abdominal pain, chest pain, numbness in legs and arms, and blurred vision. More serious, long term side effects of this drug are blood clots in the legs and lungs, and an increased risk of breast cancer, liver tumors, endometrial cancer, and ectopic pregnancy, which can often lead to death. This is not to mention the immense emotional damages a woman could experience with this drug. Particularly if she was, in fact, attempting to conceive and was tricked or forced to take the pill. The decision to consume Levonorgestrel should be an informed decision between a medical provider and the intended recipient. Personal health history and risks vary from person to person, thus the importance of the decision should lie in the hands of the female partner.
A solution to this problem would, obviously, be that the emergency contraceptive only be supplied to women, which would be the most logical action that could be taken. But since that doesn’t seem likely at this point, another solution is placing a warning label on the emergency contraceptive, indicating that, as with any drug, it’s illegal to administer the drug to someone without their compliant and absolute consent. And the final alternative solution is that the female partner simply accompanies the male to the clinic or pharmacy. This eliminates every doubt about the male and assures the distributor that the woman is willing obtaining the product as opposed to being pressured, misleads, or forced. These potential solutions do not seem too troublesome in comparison to the potential physical and emotional damages women could potentially be at risk of.

aachambe@mesastate.edu