Melanie Solarez
Professor Jolly
ENG-102
8 May 2007
Self Assessment
My expectations for English 102 at the beginning of the semester were that it was going to be an extremely strict and difficult course and that I would have to write a ton of papers. To my surprise, it was not as hard as it seemed due to the fact that the instructor, along with my peers, aided me along the way. I did have to write a few papers but there were not as many as I had anticipated. Since we did not have such a large amount of papers to write, I think that I was able to put more effort into them. My expectations did change from the beginning of the year; I found this class extremely beneficial and fun! I was able to learn many new things along with maintaining an easy going atmosphere in the classroom
The writing assignment that I learned the most from was essay number four; the proposal argument. I learned a lot about a different part of the world and how I may have been contributing to some of the problems that were occurring. I found the topic extremely intriguing and I liked the fact that it gave us as students the opportunity to “fix” the problem if we could.
In my papers, I usually organized my ideas by coming up with a central idea and then writing mini-paragraphs about the subject; this included what I already knew and new stuff that I discovered through research. I would then try putting them all together re-reading them every so often so I could make sure that they flowed.
When reviewing both my instructor’s and my peer’s comments, I noticed that I had some strengths and weaknesses. One of the things that I was good at was organizing my papers and making sure that they flowed. What I struggled with was having supporting examples for all of my points. I seemed to do an okay job with some of them but then others did not have enough backing behind them. I also had a problem with “writing how I talk”, which is how one student put it. I used their feedback by trying to have more examples that supported my points. I would also correct any grammatical errors that they had found and would constantly think to myself, “does this sound professional”?
Although this class was extremely entertaining, it also had its challenges; the most when it came to the research process. Even though I was good at finding the research from scholarly sources, I seemed to have a problem documenting them. In the past, we would document certain things but I would always have someone help me do it and it never really stuck. With this being the case I found the annotated bibliography the most difficult because I had not done anything quite like that before. However, I did learn a lot about documenting and also how to do a correct in-text citation which I believe helped me in my other classes.
The most valuable thing I think that I learned from this semester was how to do a proper and effective MLA formatted paper; including a bibliography. I think that these skills will continue helping me in my other classes because I will be able to persuade, inform, or entertain others with my papers because I know how to write them effectively.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Conflict Diamonds
Melanie Solarez
Mr. Jolly
ENG-102
29 April 2007
Diamonds: the price of beauty
I received an assignment to write about a problem happening in the 21st century. I began to brainstorm and thought of quite a few things, none of them intrigued me enough to write about them. I started to get frustrated and so I looked down at my paper and as I did my eyes caught a glimpse of my diamond ring. Then, it hit me….I wanted to write about “blood diamonds,” also known as conflict diamonds. For those that do not know, “the term conflict diamond refers to diamonds that are illegally traded to finance civil unrest” (Rhule 2). Civil wars have been occurring in many parts of Africa for generations and the main funding for them is the illegal sale of diamonds. Rebels have forced people, even children, to mine for diamonds and if they were in any way disobedient or thought about thievery, they would either be executed or, more commonly, have their hands cut off. Once western nations started to recognize what was going on they quickly began to try to devise a plan, along with the United Nations. In the year 2000, many politicians came up with something called The Kimberly Process. But The Kimberly Process was not officially launched until January 2003.
The Kimberly Process is a private certification system that tries to govern the import and export of diamonds between countries. This process requires that the diamond exporters seal their diamonds in a tamperproof container and that it must have a document that states that they were not mined in a war zone (Zoellner). Although this is a good idea, it is not nearly as effective as expected. One reason is because once the diamonds reach another exporting country, those stones can be mixed with those other diamonds and there is no one that would be able to tell the difference. With this going on you can be certain that these diamonds are finding there ways to many American jewelers and into malls all over the United States. The participants of The Kimberly Process finally acknowledged its loopholes and decided to do something about it. In November 2006 at The Kimberly Process review meeting 71 nations, non-governmental organizations, and the World Diamond Council, came to agreement on several important measures designed to help strengthen The Kimberly Process. These included:
• Adopting 46 new recommendations to help strengthen The Kimberly Process.
• Publishing of global diamond statistics to track diamond movements.
• Setting up a working group to review the issues and solutions associated with informal alluvial mining.
• Addressing the serious issues in Ghana.
• Providing customs offices with the information and identification methods for the geographic origin of rough diamonds.
• Providing technical assistance for the government of previously war-torn countries.
Also, they accepted New Zealand and Bangladesh into the Kimberly approved countries which brought the total number of nations that are participating to 71. These are all extremely good methods that the nations involved in The Kimberly Process came up with, yet they are still not quite enough; the best way to make a problem cease is to make everyone aware of it.
Although some people knew what was going on, mainstream society didn’t until the recent Warner Brother film entitled Blood Diamond. This movie opened up people’s eyes about what is going on, and the human price other people have to pay when someone buys a diamond ring. I think the introduction of this movie took the first step to what needs to happen; because they know that some people are dying from trying to mine diamonds, I hope that buyers will start questioning where their jewelry actually comes from.
With this being said, the proposal that I am suggesting to help solve this problem is to not only follow the protocol of The Kimberly Process, but to make people more aware of the problem that exists and give the average person the opportunity to help eliminate the problem.
In order to prevent conflict diamond, as customers, we need to ask about the diamond’s certificate of origin and authenticity. This will enable customers to be able to choose between the stores that are unable to give proof of origin and those that are; in a sense boycotting the stores that cannot. Many people say they feel a little awkward or even silly asking these questions, but I say, just think of all the people that have lost their families, their hands, and their lives over diamonds. You may be able to save someone because you asked a few extra questions and got proof from where your diamond actually came.
Now one must take into consideration that diamonds are parts of Africa’s, such as Sierra Leone’s, main source of revenue. Since this is the case, it would be harmful to boycott diamonds all together due to the fact that it would severely damage Africa’s economy. This proposal could also help strengthen the value of diamonds that are being sold from Africa because they will have to follow a certain protocol making them not as abundant as they were before.
This plan is completely feasible and it just calls for a little more dedication and caring into what we, as consumers, purchase. . It involves everyone from the rich to the average person because anyone can ask a question without any regard to their social status. This solution can actually solve the problem because it can disable a store’s revenue if they do not have proof that their stones are conflict-free. Why would you want to buy a ring from a jeweler that does not care where his or her stones came from; this just shows their lack of dignity and character. When a man buys their future wife a diamond engagement ring to show their love and appreciation they should ask a couple questions to make sure that the stone is pure and not tainted by the loss of an innocent person’s life.
With all this being said, we need to realize that although people do not suffer when they buy a diamond, many people suffered in the mining process. By not asking questions, we are contributing to their torment, and ultimately their demise.
Mr. Jolly
ENG-102
29 April 2007
Diamonds: the price of beauty
I received an assignment to write about a problem happening in the 21st century. I began to brainstorm and thought of quite a few things, none of them intrigued me enough to write about them. I started to get frustrated and so I looked down at my paper and as I did my eyes caught a glimpse of my diamond ring. Then, it hit me….I wanted to write about “blood diamonds,” also known as conflict diamonds. For those that do not know, “the term conflict diamond refers to diamonds that are illegally traded to finance civil unrest” (Rhule 2). Civil wars have been occurring in many parts of Africa for generations and the main funding for them is the illegal sale of diamonds. Rebels have forced people, even children, to mine for diamonds and if they were in any way disobedient or thought about thievery, they would either be executed or, more commonly, have their hands cut off. Once western nations started to recognize what was going on they quickly began to try to devise a plan, along with the United Nations. In the year 2000, many politicians came up with something called The Kimberly Process. But The Kimberly Process was not officially launched until January 2003.
The Kimberly Process is a private certification system that tries to govern the import and export of diamonds between countries. This process requires that the diamond exporters seal their diamonds in a tamperproof container and that it must have a document that states that they were not mined in a war zone (Zoellner). Although this is a good idea, it is not nearly as effective as expected. One reason is because once the diamonds reach another exporting country, those stones can be mixed with those other diamonds and there is no one that would be able to tell the difference. With this going on you can be certain that these diamonds are finding there ways to many American jewelers and into malls all over the United States. The participants of The Kimberly Process finally acknowledged its loopholes and decided to do something about it. In November 2006 at The Kimberly Process review meeting 71 nations, non-governmental organizations, and the World Diamond Council, came to agreement on several important measures designed to help strengthen The Kimberly Process. These included:
• Adopting 46 new recommendations to help strengthen The Kimberly Process.
• Publishing of global diamond statistics to track diamond movements.
• Setting up a working group to review the issues and solutions associated with informal alluvial mining.
• Addressing the serious issues in Ghana.
• Providing customs offices with the information and identification methods for the geographic origin of rough diamonds.
• Providing technical assistance for the government of previously war-torn countries.
Also, they accepted New Zealand and Bangladesh into the Kimberly approved countries which brought the total number of nations that are participating to 71. These are all extremely good methods that the nations involved in The Kimberly Process came up with, yet they are still not quite enough; the best way to make a problem cease is to make everyone aware of it.
Although some people knew what was going on, mainstream society didn’t until the recent Warner Brother film entitled Blood Diamond. This movie opened up people’s eyes about what is going on, and the human price other people have to pay when someone buys a diamond ring. I think the introduction of this movie took the first step to what needs to happen; because they know that some people are dying from trying to mine diamonds, I hope that buyers will start questioning where their jewelry actually comes from.
With this being said, the proposal that I am suggesting to help solve this problem is to not only follow the protocol of The Kimberly Process, but to make people more aware of the problem that exists and give the average person the opportunity to help eliminate the problem.
In order to prevent conflict diamond, as customers, we need to ask about the diamond’s certificate of origin and authenticity. This will enable customers to be able to choose between the stores that are unable to give proof of origin and those that are; in a sense boycotting the stores that cannot. Many people say they feel a little awkward or even silly asking these questions, but I say, just think of all the people that have lost their families, their hands, and their lives over diamonds. You may be able to save someone because you asked a few extra questions and got proof from where your diamond actually came.
Now one must take into consideration that diamonds are parts of Africa’s, such as Sierra Leone’s, main source of revenue. Since this is the case, it would be harmful to boycott diamonds all together due to the fact that it would severely damage Africa’s economy. This proposal could also help strengthen the value of diamonds that are being sold from Africa because they will have to follow a certain protocol making them not as abundant as they were before.
This plan is completely feasible and it just calls for a little more dedication and caring into what we, as consumers, purchase. . It involves everyone from the rich to the average person because anyone can ask a question without any regard to their social status. This solution can actually solve the problem because it can disable a store’s revenue if they do not have proof that their stones are conflict-free. Why would you want to buy a ring from a jeweler that does not care where his or her stones came from; this just shows their lack of dignity and character. When a man buys their future wife a diamond engagement ring to show their love and appreciation they should ask a couple questions to make sure that the stone is pure and not tainted by the loss of an innocent person’s life.
With all this being said, we need to realize that although people do not suffer when they buy a diamond, many people suffered in the mining process. By not asking questions, we are contributing to their torment, and ultimately their demise.
Annotated Bib
Melanie Solarez
Professor Jolly
ENG-102
6 April 2007
Annotated Bibliography
“A Jewel of a Deal.” Christian Science Monitor 5 Dec. 2001: 8. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was concise and very informative. It talked about different groups coming to the consensus that all shipments of rough diamonds must contain certificates of origin, which they believe will eventually lead up to the halt of conflict diamonds. This article is not very current because it was published in 2001. The exact author was not stated and I am not familiar with the publisher, which was Christian Science Publishing. This article is somewhat relevant but I believe that many of the facts were all clustered together which didn’t allow it to flow very well.
Brackenbury, Andrew, et al. “worldwatch.” Geographical 75.3 (2003): 14. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was quite brief yet well put together. It contained information about the Kimberley Process, how it is supposed to work, and how long it took for it to pass. This article is somewhat current because it was published in 2003. The author is quite credible as well as the publisher. The information appears to be accurate and it is relatively relevant.
Josipovic, Ivona. "Conflict Diamonds." Harvard International Review 25.2 (2003): 10. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was a decent length and it also contained an immense amount of information. It talked a lot about the Kimberley Process and even about some of the loopholes that exist in it as well. The information is not that current since it was published in 2003. The sources that were used, such as Global Witness, are extremely credible. The publisher is somewhat credible as well since it is from Harvard International Review. This information is very accurate and it is definitely relative to the topic of conflict diamonds.
Masland, Tom. "SIERRA LEONE." Newsweek (Atlantic Edition) 138.25 (2001): 37. MasterFILE Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was extremely brief and it discussed what was occurring in Africa while a solution to the problem of conflict diamonds was trying to be established. This article was published in 2001 so it is not current. The author and publisher are quite credible and it is moderately relevant.
Mbabazi, Pamela, Maclean, Sandra J., and Timothy M. Shaw. "Governance for reconstruction in Africa: challenges for policy communities and coalitions." Global Networks 2.1 (2002): 31. Academic Search Premier. 2 April 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is extremely long and it contains a lot of information. It contains information about conflict diamonds and conflict prevention. It also contains information about what might be the cause of this problem as well as others. This article is not very current due to the fact that it was published in 2002. There are three authors that helped to write this article and they all seem to be credible as well as the publisher. The information seems to be accurate and it is written in a professional writing style. This article is exceptionally relevant.
Patty Rhule. "Choose gems that are legit." USA Today. Academic Search Premier. 2 April 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is brief and it talks about the issue of conflict diamonds being sold in the United States. It also gives advice of questions that you should ask when buying a diamond to ensure that it is conflict-free. The author works for USA today so both the publisher and the author are credible. This article is somewhat relative to the issue of conflict diamonds.
Roberts, Janine. "Diamonds in the rough." New Internationalist (2004): 24-25. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is quite a good length and it is extremely informative. It talks about the conditions in certain parts of Africa, past policies, and The Kimberley Process. This article is fairly recent since it was published in 2004. The author and publisher are both credible as well as the Global Witness reference that was used. This article is extremely relevant and proves to be quite accurate as well.
"Still a rebel's best friend." Economist 381.8503 (2006): 53-54. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is about a page in length and it contains quite a bit of information. It mainly talked about how rebels are still using rough diamonds to fund their civil wars. This article is current since it was published in 2006. It does not say who the author is and I am also not familiar with the publisher. It seems to be quite accurate and they used Global Witness as a credible reference. This article is fairly relevant.
Wright, Clive. "Tackling conflict diamonds: the Kimberley process certification scheme." International Peacekeeping (13533312) 11.4 (2004): 697-708. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This is more of a report and it is extremely long. It contains a lot of information about The Kimberley Process and many of the details within it. This article is rather current due to the fact that it was published in 2004. The author and the publisher are both quite credible. The author also used a very professional writing style and the report as a whole is exceptionally relevant.
Zoellner, Tom. “So, Should You Buy a Diamond?.” Time 168.22 (2006): 67-67. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is roughly a page and a half and it discusses the question if people should buy diamonds. It also discussed The Kimberley Process and a couple of loopholes within it. This article is very recent since it was published in 2006. I haven’t really heard of the author but the publisher is quite credible. It appears to be relatively accurate and it is also quite relevant.
Professor Jolly
ENG-102
6 April 2007
Annotated Bibliography
“A Jewel of a Deal.” Christian Science Monitor 5 Dec. 2001: 8. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was concise and very informative. It talked about different groups coming to the consensus that all shipments of rough diamonds must contain certificates of origin, which they believe will eventually lead up to the halt of conflict diamonds. This article is not very current because it was published in 2001. The exact author was not stated and I am not familiar with the publisher, which was Christian Science Publishing. This article is somewhat relevant but I believe that many of the facts were all clustered together which didn’t allow it to flow very well.
Brackenbury, Andrew, et al. “worldwatch.” Geographical 75.3 (2003): 14. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was quite brief yet well put together. It contained information about the Kimberley Process, how it is supposed to work, and how long it took for it to pass. This article is somewhat current because it was published in 2003. The author is quite credible as well as the publisher. The information appears to be accurate and it is relatively relevant.
Josipovic, Ivona. "Conflict Diamonds." Harvard International Review 25.2 (2003): 10. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was a decent length and it also contained an immense amount of information. It talked a lot about the Kimberley Process and even about some of the loopholes that exist in it as well. The information is not that current since it was published in 2003. The sources that were used, such as Global Witness, are extremely credible. The publisher is somewhat credible as well since it is from Harvard International Review. This information is very accurate and it is definitely relative to the topic of conflict diamonds.
Masland, Tom. "SIERRA LEONE." Newsweek (Atlantic Edition) 138.25 (2001): 37. MasterFILE Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article was extremely brief and it discussed what was occurring in Africa while a solution to the problem of conflict diamonds was trying to be established. This article was published in 2001 so it is not current. The author and publisher are quite credible and it is moderately relevant.
Mbabazi, Pamela, Maclean, Sandra J., and Timothy M. Shaw. "Governance for reconstruction in Africa: challenges for policy communities and coalitions." Global Networks 2.1 (2002): 31. Academic Search Premier. 2 April 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is extremely long and it contains a lot of information. It contains information about conflict diamonds and conflict prevention. It also contains information about what might be the cause of this problem as well as others. This article is not very current due to the fact that it was published in 2002. There are three authors that helped to write this article and they all seem to be credible as well as the publisher. The information seems to be accurate and it is written in a professional writing style. This article is exceptionally relevant.
Patty Rhule. "Choose gems that are legit." USA Today. Academic Search Premier. 2 April 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is brief and it talks about the issue of conflict diamonds being sold in the United States. It also gives advice of questions that you should ask when buying a diamond to ensure that it is conflict-free. The author works for USA today so both the publisher and the author are credible. This article is somewhat relative to the issue of conflict diamonds.
Roberts, Janine. "Diamonds in the rough." New Internationalist (2004): 24-25. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is quite a good length and it is extremely informative. It talks about the conditions in certain parts of Africa, past policies, and The Kimberley Process. This article is fairly recent since it was published in 2004. The author and publisher are both credible as well as the Global Witness reference that was used. This article is extremely relevant and proves to be quite accurate as well.
"Still a rebel's best friend." Economist 381.8503 (2006): 53-54. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is about a page in length and it contains quite a bit of information. It mainly talked about how rebels are still using rough diamonds to fund their civil wars. This article is current since it was published in 2006. It does not say who the author is and I am also not familiar with the publisher. It seems to be quite accurate and they used Global Witness as a credible reference. This article is fairly relevant.
Wright, Clive. "Tackling conflict diamonds: the Kimberley process certification scheme." International Peacekeeping (13533312) 11.4 (2004): 697-708. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This is more of a report and it is extremely long. It contains a lot of information about The Kimberley Process and many of the details within it. This article is rather current due to the fact that it was published in 2004. The author and the publisher are both quite credible. The author also used a very professional writing style and the report as a whole is exceptionally relevant.
Zoellner, Tom. “So, Should You Buy a Diamond?.” Time 168.22 (2006): 67-67. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.
This article is roughly a page and a half and it discusses the question if people should buy diamonds. It also discussed The Kimberley Process and a couple of loopholes within it. This article is very recent since it was published in 2006. I haven’t really heard of the author but the publisher is quite credible. It appears to be relatively accurate and it is also quite relevant.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
My research.......
My research seems to be going pretty well.....i was able to find a lot of information in the library online using the database system. The thing that i need to look for most is other peoples opinions on what the solution should be.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
My Paper!!!
Melanie Solarez
Professor Jolly
ENG 102
20 March 2007
Morning After Pill aka Plan B
When asked to choose something to evaluate I immediately thought of the morning after pill because I feel that I, along with many girls my age, can relate to how important it is. Another name for this pill is Plan B. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that can prevent a pregnancy if taken within 3 days after unprotected sex. Some unfortunate reasons that one would want to take Plan B are: if the condom broke, you forgot to take your birth control, he did not pull out in time, you were not using any protection, or if you were forced in to having unprotected sex (Emergency Contraception).
Although there is great controversy about emergency contraception itself, the latest issue has been whether or not it should be able to be sold without a prescription.
The FDA approved the selling of Plan B over the counter, to women over 18, in August 2006 and there is still a big debate about it going on today. People who oppose the over the counter selling of Plan B say that it is the same as the abortion pill, RU-486, but in fact it is not. Plan B mainly works by stopping the releasing of an egg from the ovaries yet it will not affect an existing pregnancy. It also contains the same hormone that is found in most birth control pills just in a stronger dosage and it does not contain any estrogen (What is Plan B).
Many parents are angry at the idea of Plan B being sold over the counter because they believe that it will make teens more and more sexually promiscuous and cause the spreading of more STD’s. This is a reasonable argument but I believe that we should be realistic due to the fact that most teens are sexually active and they should be aware of the contraceptives that are available.
Another issue that the opposition addresses is that they believe that since Plan B is so accessible, people over 18 are going to buy it for girls that are underage and they will misuse it (Kachroo 238). This is possible yet unlikely because I doubt an older person would buy the Plan B for someone younger than them unless they knew her situation. If this is the case then I highly doubt that they will be misusing this pill.
With having Plan B so accessible, it will decrease unwanted pregnancies due to the fact that more women will be willing to go get it since it is so easy. Before, some women would be in panic because they needed to get their appointment in that 3 day time period and many others were embarrassed or ashamed to go their doctor or a clinic so they just avoided it all together. Supporters of the policy say that “an intelligent use of contraceptives results in the creation of healthier families, they say, since women can wait until they are emotionally and economically ready to bear children” (Update:)
Overall, the FDA approving the selling of Plan B over the counter, to women over 18, was a smart idea due to the fact that that it makes people more aware of contraceptives, it reduces unwanted pregnancies and also the accessibility enables women to maintain their privacy while enabling them to take the proper precautions.
Works Cited
Blunt, Sheryl Henderson “Morning-After Headache.” Christianity Today; November 2006, Vol.50 Issue 11, p22-23, 2p
“Emergency Contraception.” Planned Parenthood. 13 March 2007.
Kachroo, Sumesh “Morning-after pill as a nonprescription medication: Benefits and concerns.” American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy; 1 February 2007, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p238-241, 2p
"Update: Birth Control Policy." Issues & Controversies On File 17 Dec. 2006. Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com. Facts On File News Services. 15 Mar. 2007.
“What is Plan B?” Plan B (Levonorgestrel). 13 March 2007.
Professor Jolly
ENG 102
20 March 2007
Morning After Pill aka Plan B
When asked to choose something to evaluate I immediately thought of the morning after pill because I feel that I, along with many girls my age, can relate to how important it is. Another name for this pill is Plan B. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that can prevent a pregnancy if taken within 3 days after unprotected sex. Some unfortunate reasons that one would want to take Plan B are: if the condom broke, you forgot to take your birth control, he did not pull out in time, you were not using any protection, or if you were forced in to having unprotected sex (Emergency Contraception).
Although there is great controversy about emergency contraception itself, the latest issue has been whether or not it should be able to be sold without a prescription.
The FDA approved the selling of Plan B over the counter, to women over 18, in August 2006 and there is still a big debate about it going on today. People who oppose the over the counter selling of Plan B say that it is the same as the abortion pill, RU-486, but in fact it is not. Plan B mainly works by stopping the releasing of an egg from the ovaries yet it will not affect an existing pregnancy. It also contains the same hormone that is found in most birth control pills just in a stronger dosage and it does not contain any estrogen (What is Plan B).
Many parents are angry at the idea of Plan B being sold over the counter because they believe that it will make teens more and more sexually promiscuous and cause the spreading of more STD’s. This is a reasonable argument but I believe that we should be realistic due to the fact that most teens are sexually active and they should be aware of the contraceptives that are available.
Another issue that the opposition addresses is that they believe that since Plan B is so accessible, people over 18 are going to buy it for girls that are underage and they will misuse it (Kachroo 238). This is possible yet unlikely because I doubt an older person would buy the Plan B for someone younger than them unless they knew her situation. If this is the case then I highly doubt that they will be misusing this pill.
With having Plan B so accessible, it will decrease unwanted pregnancies due to the fact that more women will be willing to go get it since it is so easy. Before, some women would be in panic because they needed to get their appointment in that 3 day time period and many others were embarrassed or ashamed to go their doctor or a clinic so they just avoided it all together. Supporters of the policy say that “an intelligent use of contraceptives results in the creation of healthier families, they say, since women can wait until they are emotionally and economically ready to bear children” (Update:)
Overall, the FDA approving the selling of Plan B over the counter, to women over 18, was a smart idea due to the fact that that it makes people more aware of contraceptives, it reduces unwanted pregnancies and also the accessibility enables women to maintain their privacy while enabling them to take the proper precautions.
Works Cited
Blunt, Sheryl Henderson “Morning-After Headache.” Christianity Today; November 2006, Vol.50 Issue 11, p22-23, 2p
“Emergency Contraception.” Planned Parenthood. 13 March 2007.
Kachroo, Sumesh “Morning-after pill as a nonprescription medication: Benefits and concerns.” American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy; 1 February 2007, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p238-241, 2p
"Update: Birth Control Policy." Issues & Controversies On File 17 Dec. 2006. Issues & Controversies @ FACTS.com. Facts On File News Services. 15 Mar. 2007
“What is Plan B?” Plan B (Levonorgestrel). 13 March 2007.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)