Pediatricians urged to offer morning-after pills

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - In the ongoing battle over contraception for teens, the American Academy of Pediatrics made a big recommendation about the morning-after pill.

They're asking doctors to write teen girls "just-in-case" prescriptions for Plan-B and other emergency contraceptives.

"As the father of four girls, this terrifies me."

President of Right to Life Indianapolis, Marc Tuttle not only opposes the idea of a just-in-case prescription for the morning-after pill, he calls it a recipe for disaster.

"Our biggest fear would be that girls would take this as a license from the pediatrician that it's okay to have sex, that it's okay to be promiscuous, and that's naturally going to increase the numbers of pregnancy even if it decreases the pregnancy rate," said Tuttle.

However, Planned Parenthood of Indiana says with 31 teenagers getting pregnant in Indiana every day, easy access to contraception is a necessity.

In a statement released to 24-Hour News 8, branch President Betty Cockrum said in part, "Emergency contraception is an important tool in preventing unintended pregnancies and lowering the rates of abortion, and multiple studies have shown that it is a safe and effective method of birth control for women of all ages."

In agreement is the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that states, "Adolescents are more likely to use emergency contraception if it has been prescribed in advance of need."

But having a powerful hormone at-hand all the time also means parents, especially of those under 17, don't have to know when their daughter is taking it.

Tuttle calls it a double standard.

"If you took this same approach with teenage smoking, teenage drinking, that we're going to give you safe way to still engage in those same behaviors, parents would be outraged."