Reality check here, Plan B is expensive; $25 per dose.  Also the amount in a single fill of a vending machine is finite at at that cost probably no more than 10, just from a cost standpoint.

As far as the image of a pregnant college student trying to abort with plan B other than wasting her money and getting herself sick not much is going to happen.  The common side effects of levonorgestrel (the active ingredient) are nausea, vomiting, amenorrhea(no period) and headache.  Acute use is not linked to blood clots tough long term use is. As far as adverse effects in the pregnancy while the FDA  lists  Plan B as pregnancy category X (do not use) the only good study I could find compares 332 women who took Plan B early n their pregnancy versus 332 who did not.  This study, www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706525, found no differences in the incidence of adverse outcomes.

Bottom line, levonorgestrel as Plan B is no more dangerous than selling acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen OTC or in a vending machine and probably a great deal safer.

As Plan B is most effective the sooner it is taken then it should be as available as possible.  Making the woman wait to see a physician or nurse practitioner is simply unwarranted and reduces the effectiveness of the medication.

Why are all these things available in a vending machine? Because then the college gets to cut the medical staff on hand to the bone. It isn't going to terminate an existing pregnancy anyway.

Birth control pills-especially the earlier ones were tremendously hard on the body. One type I took messed my system up enough I ended up needing an endocrinologist to find out what was going on.

I buy sinus medication without the Tylenol or adjust my other medications for pain that also contain it. I don't need to destroy my liver.

I remember girlfriends who had abortions, and one who got on the Pill --her line was "If I'm not going to use self-control, then I'd better use birth control." Ah, the early 70's. She had to go to New York because that was where it was legal.

I'm glad that they can get birth control--vending machine condoms are fine by me. But if you put something like the morning after pill in a machine, it needs to have HUGE letters for the warning. Please wait until the clinic is open before taking comes to mind.

Templar - this is a funny quote of yours:

"A girl in a panic in front of a vending machine is not a good idea."

I can totally see some girl 4 months pregnant finally willing to confront her pregnancy and with a credit card downing like 15 of these pills at the same time to horrific consequences. 

In my mind it is not an IF but a WHEN.

I am not saying it should not be allowed but I do hope they start out small, with maybe one or two clinics and then observe if it should be unleashed on every other university campus. 

Feb 13, 2012 -- 11:44PM, Erey wrote:

Wow I guess 20 years ago or whatever when I first heard of these morning after pills I never would have guessed the day would come when you could buy one via a vending machine. 

They do seem like they would be very harsh on the body if abused.  I can't help but imagine young women taking several a month, every month. 

I am middle aged now but once I was young and I remember how stupid girls could be around sex and their bodies.  There were girls that I knew that would have regular abortions because they could not deal with managing birth control.  They would have a few abortions in a year, for a few consecutive years which can't be good for you.

I hope this machine has all the required warning labels and recomendations for proper birth control.  I am sure it has plenty of that.  It makes me uncomfortable to be honest. 

However at the end of the day people do need to take responsibility over their own health and bodies.  If somebody wants to be reckless and pop like 20 of those pills in a month (how expensive is that?)  you have to provide warnings against it but it is their life.

At $25 a pop that would be $500 a month, a little steep for most and, considerably mmre than regular OCPs even with office visit and paps factored in.

Feb 13, 2012 -- 11:44PM, Erey wrote:

Already I am pretty sure that your standard bc pills should be available OTC.  I know women should have paps and whatnot but it is not the FDA's responsibility to hold women hostage with BC pills to make that happen.  I just read today that some farm is in trouble with the law because it is selling fresh (unpasturized milk).  I am a fan of pasturization but some people romanticise fresh unaltered milk and who are we as a society to keep them from that? 

We should provide people with more freedom to control their own health.  I don't view the morning after pill as necessarily an abortion.   I hope no girls get hurt abusing this, but that is probably an unrealistic hope.

Standard OCPs require longterm usage of sex hormones and have well documented and serious side effects.  As such medical evaluation is needed before starting and while taking these compounds to make them safe, whether or not pap smears and other health screenings are included.  These adverse effects are not related to the occasional use of these same agents even once a month.