If the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and many family planning advocates have their way, people would be able to find their favorite brand of morning-after pill in the same aisle as their favorite brand of cold medicine.
Though not completely thwarted, their plans have been momentarily postponed, and they - along with some women's rights advocates - are particularly displeased.
The Food and Drug Administration was scheduled to arrive at a decision last week concerning the over-the-counter availability of the morning-after pill, also known as Plan B, a form of contraception, that when taken within 72 hours of sex, can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.
While, according to a CNN.com article published on Jan.16, the FDA plans to postpone its decision until May, members of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America believe the delay will result in withholding assistance from thousands of women in need.
We need to heighten the access to this, it could have a dramatic effect on pregnancies and abortions, said Amy White, director of communication for Planned Parenthood, on why Planned Parenthood is working to get the morning after pill available over-the-counter.
It's important for young girls - maybe with their first sexual experience, in a date rape situation or in an emergency situation - to know that girls can count on this, she said.
Plan B, which White made clear is a form of contraception and not an abortion drug like RU-486, is available without prescription in 31 countries and five states - California, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii and New Mexico, according to MSNBC.com. People like White are doing all they can to make it available over-the-counter nationally.
According to White, The FDA voted 23 to 4 for postponing their decision on the national availability of over-the-counter morning-after pills. She said she cannot understand why the final decision would be postponed, though she suspects the date of the decision was pushed back from February to May because of outside pressures to keep this drug as prescription only.
But some believe the postponement of the FDA decision is to consider all angles is a wise decision.
"I can understand the reasoning for wanting it more available as far as unwanted pregnancies, but personally I think that some people might rely on it," said Mary Hurley, a pharmacist at Rite Aid Pharmacy on Seneca Street in Buffalo. "They might have casual sex knowing that they can go and pick it up."
Erin Bonafede, a freshman psychology major said she agreed that other things besides simple availability should be taken into consideration.
I think that girls might just start using it as a form of birth control if it's over the counter," she said.
White addressed this concern by saying that the name of the product itself, Plan B, indicates that users should not be taking it as a form of birth control, but refers to it as backing up your birth control, for those situations when accidents happen.
According to Hurley some individuals might have a few more "accidents" knowing that emergency contraception is available.
"In my experience, if I worked in a pharmacy where they dispensed (the morning after pill), it was usually a repetitive person that got it," she said.
According to some, possible abusers of the drug should not be the only consideration. According to White, wider availability will make it much easier for those in situations of rape or at time when it is difficult to locate doctors to write prescriptions within a short time frame, such as on weekends and holidays.
I think it's a good idea, said Margo Theisen, a freshman theater major. It could really cut down on pregnancy, especially for girls that don't want to or can't get to the doctor on time.
Dr. Sherry Darrow, adjunct faculty in the Department of Women's Studies, said the nature of emergency contraception and its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy make getting a dosage time sensitive.
There's a window of opportunity for when this is useful, and that's three days, Darrow said, adding that if a woman cannot get to a doctor within those three days the effectiveness of emergency contraception is all but nullified.
Though experts acknowledge that urgency is necessary in the case of preventing unwanted pregnancy, many say that some caution should be exercised to ensure that those with access to the contraceptive know how to use it.
The reason there is a controversy isn't because of medical reasons. People have different views for what it's used for - different religious views, said Amy Vincent, a senior health and human services major and counseling supervisor for Health Education and Human Services. They don't really want adolescents to have it because the girls need further information and want them to have more counseling on it.
White said Plan B meets all the criteria needed to make the switch from prescription to over-the-counter and according to the FDA, Plan B is safe to use. Its main concern is that women will know how to use it.
Steve Wright, a junior communication major, said he foresees other pitfalls that may result from emergency contraception going over-the-counter.
It's probably not a good idea, said Wright. People will think they will be able to go out and have sex with anybody and sexually transmitted diseases will increase.
Dr. Frank Carnevale , associate director of Health Services, said many students do not know that emergency contraception is available through Health Services, adding that over-the-counter availability of emergency contraception has its positives as well as drawbacks.
I think that the upside of this is there will be improved access for emergency contraception, the downside being that the opportunity for communication with a medical professional is lost, he said.
While emergency contraception is not extremely difficult to come across, family planning advocates such as White and Darrow believe accessibility can always be improved.
Society constantly wants to label women and control their sexuality and fertility. It's a tool for women to use - a positive tool. We should allow women to add it to our tool chest to help," said Darrow.
