The makers of Plan B, a type of emergency contraception, have asked the Food and Drug Administration to determine if it can be taken without a doctor's prescription. If the FDA allows it, Plan B may be available as an over-the-counter drug within about 18 months.

Emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill," contains high levels of the hormones found in birth control pills. It delays or inhibits ovulation, and it may also inhibit implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus or make it more difficult for sperm or an egg to move through the female reproductive tract.

If emergency contraception is taken within 72 hours of intercourse, the chance of pregnancy can be reduced to 1 percent. The sooner it is taken, the more effective it is.

The FDA should allow women to obtain these pills without a prescription because it can be difficult to access a doctor during after-work hours or on weekends. For example, if a Penn State female student has sex with a faulty condom on a Saturday afternoon, she couldn't get an appointment with University Health Services until at least 8 a.m. Monday morning.

This wastes time that she could have used to perhaps prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

In addition, some doctors — even in seemingly progressive areas like State College — refuse to prescribe the pills because of religious objections. This deprives women of their right to access an FDA-approved birth-control method.

If, on the other hand, FDA approved over-the-counter emergency contraception, women could simply make a trip to a drug store to prevent an unwanted pregnancy in its earliest of stages.

Some health experts believe that widespread accessibility and use of emergency contraception could cut the abortion rate in half by reducing up to a million unintended pregnancies per year.

Although the morning-after pill can reduce abortion rates, it is important to note that it is significantly different from RU-486, the "abortion pill," which contains higher doses of hormones, has more side effects, and induces a miscarriage in an established pregnancy.

While pills like Plan B are more mild than RU-486, there is still a risk of side effects with emergency contraception, including fatigue, headache, breast tenderness and menstrual changes.

Rare but serious complications include the risk of blood clot formation, heart attack, stroke and liver problems.

It is important to stress that the morning-after pill is not appropriate to use as a regular choice of contraception. It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, and the risk of side effects is more serious than most other forms of birth control. Sexual health educators should emphasize that the morning-after pill is an emergency, not routine, way to reduce the risk of pregnancy.

However, if traditional forms of birth control fail, as in the case of a condom breaking, then it is important for women to have a timely, easily accessible way to obtain emergency contraception. The FDA should allow the pills to be sold without a doctor's prescription so women have more widespread access to emergency contraception.