I Pill

Hi, 

I was chatting with a friend about I Pill, an emergency contraceptive tablet that has been launched by Cipla. I will not get into what I Pill is and what it can/cannot do. I am sure you people are savvy enough to know about it, or Google it to find out more! 

Since I Pill is an OTC medicine, it can be advertised through various media. While in India, I remember seeing many ads, that is actually how I got to know about it. I distinctly remember 3 of the ads - one of a married housewife, probably 35+, with 2 kids, trying to hint to her husband that they did not take precautions last night. Similar story for a newly married couple. The other was about a young girl, maybe 25 -28 years, running away from an abortion clinic. 

Now, all the ads gave out the message that if someone does not want to have a kid now, they have a much safer/less traumatic option than an abortion. They depicted responsible individuals, being mature about precautions, yet being  human beings, were slightly less careful (I am deliberately avoiding the word 'careless'). 

However, I recently read articles discussing how the I Pill privileges are  being 'abused'. It seems that I Pill is being used regularly by women, more than once in one cycle, a blatant disregard for the caveats that are detailed in the pamphlet (I doubt anyone ever reads the same). Hence, moving it from the 'responsible' arena, to a more 'casual, shortcut' one. So, there were opinions for making the pill a prescription drug rather than OTC. With a high abortion rate and deaths/complications due to abortions, the government probably wants to retain the pill's OTC status. 

In India, with many prescription drugs being freely available as OTCs (I am sure all of us have bought Corex without prescription), making it a prescription drug does not seem to be the answer. However, yes, the usage needs to be restricted. I think the one way to do the same is to ensure women are better educated, about their bodies, the pros and cons of such medication, the dangers they face. Schools (and parents also) need to take this up, in a mature manner; for lower classes, I am sure NGOs would be the best means. 

The western influences on our culture and children are increasing. It seems very nice to turn our heads the other way and condition our minds to believe that "No, my son/daughter will not do anything, after all we are Indians". However, the change is inevitable. We have to be prepared for this, and prepare our children for the same, whether a boy or a girl. Make them more responsible and mature.