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Check out part 1 of this comic right here

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I know it’s easy to look at Plan B and think, “this will stop me from having a baby” and not care about what else it does, but you shouldn’t do that. You may not think that understanding the inner workings of Plan B is important, but it is, because don’t you want to know exactly what that little pill is doing to your body? Being informed about these things will make you even smarter than you already are.

This video is also really important because it states loud and clear that Plan B is not the same thing as abortion. There are a lot of conservative groups out there who feel like emergency contraception and abortions are the same thing, and those conservative groups are the ones that are going to try to bring Plan B down. Honestly, believing something like that is about a total lack of information (or ignorance, depending on who you are), because as you can see (once you watch the video), they are not the same thing at all. Plan B stops fertilization before it happens, because a baby is not created the second sperm enters your vagina. Abortion terminates a pregnancy once the egg is fertilized. See the difference?

Anyway, if you’ve ever had questions about Plan B or if you’ve ever worried about the safety of this little pill, just watch this video. I’m pretty sure it will answer anything you need to know in the most simple terms possible. Check it out:

What did you think of this video? Have you ever used Plan B? Do you feel like it’s the same thing as abortion? Tell us in the comments!

Is your doctor encouraging unsafe sex?

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Source: ShutterStock

Today, I heard the news that a major pediatrician group is advising doctors to prescribe the morning-after pill to teens before they actually need to use it – you know, just in case they do end up needing to use it. At first, I was like, “Hm, that sounds like a pretty cool idea.” But then five seconds later I realized that this might actually not be as great as I thought.

Let’s get this clear before we move on: I am totally pro-Plan B. While I’ve never taken the morning-after pill myself, I think it’s good for girls to have the option to prevent pregnancy before it happens if things got a little messy in the bedroom the night before. Unexpected things can happen during sex – the condom breaks, the condom gets lost inside of you, or maybe you just totally forgot the condom altogether. Okay, maybe that last one is more of a mistake on your part, but the point is we can’t always predict what’s going to happen while hooking up, and that’s where the morning-after pill comes in.

However, there’s an issue with having it prescribed to teens in advance, and that issue (in my opinion) is that it makes the morning-after pill way too easy. Right now in the United States, girls under 17 can’t get the morning-after pill without a prescription. That makes things a little difficult. If you’re 16-years-old and the condom breaks during sex and you wake up in a panic the next morning, you have to head over to a doctor or Planned Parenthood to get a prescription and then make the sort of embarrassing trip to the drug store to buy Plan B. It’s not ideal.

But if you were already prescribed Plan B and it’s sitting in your desk drawer next to your bed, all you have to do is roll over and take the pill without any of that hassle. Sounds awesome, right? It is awesome for teens who are responsible enough to know how to handle the morning-after pill. It is not awesome for teens who are ready to abuse it, whether they mean to or not.

The morning-after pill should be more of a last resort, in my opinion. | Source: ShutterStock

The Committee on Adolescence from the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement, “Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it has been prescribed in advance of need.” I definitely am not going to argue with this – like I just said, having a supply of Plan B ready and waiting to be used is of course easier than going to to the store to buy it, whether you need a prescription or not. Of course adolescents are more likely to use it.

Here’s what I’m trying to say: Plan B shouldn’t be something you have lying around in your bathroom next your Advil. It’s a serious pill and not something you should take whenever you want. I feel like having a stash of Plan B waiting for you might actually encourage unsafe sex for teens who aren’t exactly mature enough yet to handle self-prescribing it.

What if a girl is about to hookup with her hot crush when she realizes neither of them have a condom? If she really, really wants to do it and knows she can just take some Plan B the next day and everything will be fine, don’t you think she might do it? I’m not saying every teen is irresponsible enough to make that decision – in fact, I’m not even going to limit it to just teens. Anyone could make that decision. But some people might think that way. Not only is having sex without a condom always a bad idea (even if you’re going to use the morning-after pill, you still have to worry about STD’s), but abusing the pill is not good for your health.

I think Plan B should definitely be accessible and easy to buy in your local drugstore. But I don’t think it should be prescribed to you just in case you need it. At the end of the day, there are just too many people out there who might abuse the pill or start having unsafe sex and using the pill as a sort of substitute for a condom or other protection, and that’s not okay.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Do you think it’s a good idea for doctors to prescribe the morning-after pill in advance? Have you ever used Plan B? Would you like to have it in your house in case? Tell us in the comments!

One girl’s story about taking Plan B

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NYC schools are offering free condoms–and now Plan B, too. | Source

In New York City, a lot of girls won’t be faced with that Plan B purchasing dilemma, because 13 public schools will actually offer Plan B to students.

Students 14 and older will be able to get emergency contraception from their schools without their parents having to know. Most New york City public schools already give free condoms to students, because, well, even if they tell you not to have sex, a lot of students still do. In fact, over 7,000 New York City girls get pregnant before they’re 17–and over half of those girls wind up getting abortions. That said, having access to Plan B where girls can grab it privately will probably prevent more of those pregnancies.

It’s important to note that Plan B is not an abortion pill, because it prevents your egg from being fertilized–it doesn’t destroy anything that’s already growing there. You take it within three days of having unprotected sex or birth control failing (so if it happens on Friday night and you can’t get to a pharmacy fast enough, NYC girls can high tail it to school on Monday morning). Sperm can hang out for almost a week, so the sooner, the better. If you’re younger than 17, you’ll still need a prescription to get Plan B, but depending on where you live and what the confidentiality laws are like, you may still be able to get an Rx without your folks’ knowledge.

It’s also important to remember that there’s a reason it’s called Plan B–because it’s a backup, not a first line of defense. If you’re going to have sex, always use condoms and birth control!

That said? Basically, we think this is a great freakin’ thing. In an ideal world, everyone would be comfortable talking to her folks about sex, contraception, and, in some cases, emergency contraception. But we don’t live in an ideal world. Sometimes you’re just uncomfortable discussing your private life with your folks, and sometimes you’re actually more informed and mature than they are, or you’re scared of their reaction to your having a sex life. This will save you the precious time necessary in scary situations like this–when literally every hour counts.

Sometimes things go wrong, even when you plan ahead–and sometimes the very people who are expected to help you just don’t get it. It’s your life, it’s your body, and you need to know what all of your available options are. People are starting to finally get that. You go, NYC!

Do you think Plan B should given out at schools? Do you have a hard time talking to your parents about sex or contraception? Do you think your school would ever give out Plan B? Tell us in the comments!

What’s an abortion really like?

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Condoms: totally awesome, but unfortunately, not 100% foolproof. | Source: Shutterstock

My boyfriend and I had just finished getting it on and he sat up, looked down at my crotch, and said calmly, “You have a drizzling of semen on your pubes.” I, however, did not reply so calmly, and instead yelled, “ARE YOU F___ING KIDDING ME?!” He shook his head and I stared at the ceiling for a second, thinking maybe I was about to get pregnant, and feeling cheated because we had used a condom, although of course condoms aren’t 100% foolproof (condom failure or user error, we’ll never know). And all of a sudden, I remembered something and a calm came over me too. “Well,” I said, “let’s get cleaned up and go to a pharmacy for Plan B.”

In case you’re not sure what Plan B is, I’ll clarify: taking Plan B (often called the “morning-after pill”) within 72 hours of birth control failure (or failure to use birth control) can prevent pregnancy. If you’re like, “Huh?!,” just stay with me here. Sperm can live up to several days inside of you, and an egg may not be right there yet, waiting to be fertilized. Taking Plan B prevents ovulation (when your ovary releases an egg) and also helps prevent any egg that is there from attaching to your uterine wall. Basically, it can keep the sperm and the egg from hooking up. (By the way? Plan B is NOT the same as RU-486, which induces a chemical abortion. If you’re already pregnant, Plan B will not cause an abortion, and you’ll stay pregnant unless you decide to do something else about it.)

ANYWAY. Back to my story! My guy and I didn’t have to discuss, debate, or despair about the decision. Before my boyfriend and I had ever had sex, we’d had a discussion about what would happen if I got pregnant. It wasn’t much of a discussion even then: neither of us want kids, and so terminating a pregnancy would be the only acceptable option for us in the case of a pregnancy–but preventing a pregnancy through Plan B seemed even better.

You have 72 hours to take it after an incident in which you think you might have gotten pregnant, but why wait? We went out immediately to purchase it. Asking the pharmacist for Plan B was a little awkward (even though Plan B is non-prescription for women over 17, it’s stored behind the pharmacist’s counter, so you do have to ask for it), although the pharmacist seemed unfazed. She confirmed that the accident had occurred within the last 72 hours, then handed me a box and briefed me on possible side effects (nausea, fatigue, headaches, dizziness). My boyfriend and I plunked down $40 (cost varies depending on where you buy it, and you can also print a $10 discount coupon from Plan B’s website). I figured it was absolutely worth the money, because an abortion would cost WAY more), I put the Plan B in my purse, and off we went. “Bottoms up,” I nervously said in the car, took a swig of juice, then swallowed the pill. I went out with friends for hours afterward; I didn’t feel any side effects.

Taking Plan B let me continue living my life. | Source: Shutterstock

I got my period right on schedule a couple weeks later. At no point have I regretted taking Plan B; neither my boyfriend nor I were emotionally or financially stable enough to have a baby, besides the fact that neither of us wanted to be parents, period. I hope to never have to do it again, although should I be faced with another birth control failure (protection=really important!!!), I know I would. I made the right choice.

Have you ever taken Plan B? Do you know anyone who has? Do you think Plan B should be available to teenagers without their parents permission? Tell me everything in the comments!

Now, Let’s Talk About Abortion . . . Really.

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This story is kind of our worst nightmare. | Source: ShutterStock

If there’s one thing girls can always bond about, it’s an embarrassing hookup story. Trust us: we all have them. So don’t be shy! Read this OMG reader hook-up confession, and then send your own to confession@gurl.com.

I would do anything for my friends. Last year, my friend asked me to buy her the morning-after pill (Plan B). I went to the drug store and the pharmacist gave me a huge lecture! She yelled at me, saying, “How could you be so careless? You should use condoms!” I didn’t even get to explain that it wasn’t for me. Luckily, I was the only one there, and I ran out as fast as I could.

A few weeks later, my hot boyfriend (Josh Hartnett’s doppleganger) invited me over to meet the parents. Guess who his mother was? THE PHARMACIST! It was the most awkward Sunday lunch ever. She eventually gave us The Talk… along with condoms.

Do you think you can top this confession? Send your hook-up confessions to confession@gurl.com. Don’t worry: they’re totally anonymous.

Read more hysterical hookup confessions!

If you tell him, he might give you the support you need. | Source: ShutterStock

Okay, so you had sex last night… and for whatever reason, you didn’t use protection. Whether the condom broke or it just wasn’t available in the moment, one thing’s for sure: you’re probably freaking out right now. And you’re also probably running to the pharmacy to buy some Plan B to make sure you don’t get pregnant.

So here’s the question: do you tell that dude you were getting it on with last night that you’re going to use Plan B? Or do you leave him in the dark? We saw this topic in the message boards and we really want to know what more people think. Do you have to tell the guy you’re using Plan B or should you keep it to yourself? Read what these girls thought and then let us know your opinion.

psychochick09 said:
My boyfriend and I had sex last week and the condom broke. Twice. It wasn’t towards the end or anything, but I’m not on anything and I was worried, so I went to Planned Parenthood the next day and they gave me Plan B. They told me to come back in two weeks for a test. I haven’t told my boyfriend.

I’m 21 and he’s 22, so we are “old enough” to deal if something *does* happen, but still, it’s not ideal. It’s not necessarily that I don’t feel comfortable telling him about it all, but I don’t want him freaking out about it beforehand if it ends up being nothing. I would usually take my best friend with me for this and she’s not nearby, anymore, so I would be taking the test alone.

Have any of you been in this situation? I can do enough worrying for the both of us, but I’m not sure if I want to have to take the test alone. If I’m not pregnant, it’s fine, but if I am… Ughh. I’m just so all over the place on this. Help!

You don’t have to go through this alone. | Source: ShutterStock

ToxicDisco said:
If I were you, I’d just take the test alone without telling him. If you find out you’re not pregnant, then discuss what happened with him. Tell him you had a bit of a pregnancy scare and hear what he has to say. 

starfishing said:
Personally, I would tell him. If I did all this without telling my boyfriend and then told him after the fact, I think he’d be upset that I kept it from him.

Besides, I think it’s a good idea to talk to him about ways to prevent this in the future. For example, adding a second method of birth control like the pill, and talking about ways to prevent the condom breaking.

I don’t know your boyfriend so obviously in the end the decision is yours, but if it was me I’d tell him. Tell him the test is just a precaution. I think having him there for support would be good.

So what do I think? Well, if this happened with a boyfriend you’ve been with for a while, I think you should tell him. If you two have an open and honest relationship, then leaving him out of something like this is probably not the best idea. For one thing, you should be able to lean on him for support – and for another thing, he deserves to know if you’re experiencing a pregnancy scare. Plus, that scare ends up being true, he’s probably going to be pretty annoyed that you didn’t tell him what was going on.

If this happened with a one-night stand or a hookup buddy, and you don’t feel very comfortable with that person, then maybe don’t talk to them about it. That’s a much more awkward conversation than it would be with a boyfriend. In the end, though, it’s really your decision. Do what makes you feel comfortable.

Would you tell a guy if you took Plan B? Would you be too scared to tell him? Have you ever taken it? Tell us in the comments.

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