Leah Tulin: Clearing up the myths about contraception

There are certain things we simply don't often discuss in public forums. Sex is one of them. But whether or not we talk about it, the truth of the matter is that people across the world are having sex at this very moment.

Without a doubt, there are consequences. In addition to the risk of sexually transmitted infections, there are three million unplanned pregnancies in this country each year, half of which result in abortions.

There are various measures that sexually active individuals of any orientation can take to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and (when relevant) unwanted pregnancies. But any of these methods are worthless if those who are sexually active are ignorant of them.

Physicians have known since the 1970s that giving a woman high doses of certain kinds of birth control pills within 72 hours of unprotected sex can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. Since that time, a few companies have begun to manufacture and package pills specifically for this use.

If a woman is already pregnant, emergency contraception (sometimes called the "morning-after pill") does nothing to disrupt the pregnancy or harm the fetus. Studies show that Plan B, a progestin-only form of emergency contraception, reduces the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent. Medical researchers believe that if used to its full potential, EC could annually prevent more than half of the three million unplanned pregnancies in this country.

On March 20, in an effort to expand access to EC, the makers of Plan B petitioned the FDA to change its status from prescription-only to over-the-counter so that women could buy EC the same way they buy aspirin. A number of states have introduced legislation to fund campaigns to increase awareness about and access to EC.

Studies also suggest that if you know about EC and where to get it, you are in a minority of Americans. Most people just don't know that the option exists.

On Wednesday, March 19, an insert appeared with this newspaper. Paid for by a pro-life organization, the 12-page, color-advertising supplement entitled "The Silent Epidemic" chronicled "the dangerous choice virus" and contested most of what I just told you about EC, calling it an "abortifacient," something that causes abortion. The pro-life movement, unlike the medical community, equates all contraceptive methods, except condoms, with abortion.

Articles in this insert also used a number of scare tactics to press their position, including comparing Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan. On the back cover, they quoted Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel about the dignity of human life. That Weisel intended his statement to apply to a debate over reproductive rights in the United States seems unlikely.

But although the insert was produced by those who oppose most forms of contraception and believe that no woman should be allowed an abortion under any circumstance, much of the content was presented as medical fact. One article in the insert asserted a link between abortion and breast cancer, citing as evidence a study conducted by a staunchly pro-life researcher.

Meanwhile, a score of nonpartisan public health organizations, including the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, have all discounted the link between having an abortion (or a miscarriage) and an increased risk of breast cancer.

Some people would have you believe that the question of how to handle the epidemic of unplanned pregnancy is indistinguishable from the debate over the morality of abortion. But at the heart of it, this is not simply a debate over abortion, abstinence or contraception. It is not just a question of who has the right to make decisions about your sexuality and reproduction. This is a battle for information. It is about how you define the terms of the debate, whose words you read and where and how you get your facts.

People are having sex and are unlikely to stop in the near future. But the scary reality is that most Americans -- Penn students included -- don't have all the facts they need to protect themselves and their partners.

So, for those of you who had unprotected (hetero) sex last night or the night before or even the night before that, try getting EC instead of getting pregnant by visiting Student Health, calling the CHOICE hotline (800-84-TEENS) or visiting the EC Web site: http://ec.princeton.edu. Any of those places can also help you get tested for STDs, find an anonymous testing site for HIV or figure out how to get contraceptives.

Leah Tulin is a senior American History major and chairwoman of Penn for Choice.

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