One of the larger dynamics in this country is the one that occurs when a group of people don’t like something for one reason, and say it is for another reason- and controversies like those surrounding Plan B and HPV vaccines are a great illustration of this.

Earlier this week, it became big news when it was revealed that a Pennsylvania university had installed a vending machine to dispense the high-dose birth control pill Plan B. I will say for the record now that I believe that in the history of marketing, the selection of the name “Plan B” is pretty woeful- it seems to cast an pall of irresponsibility over the name of the ill-understood product. (While many believe Plan B is an abortion-inducing medication, it is in fact just a high-dose version of the Pill, and does nothing more than the Pill itself can do.)

And though the birth control pill itself is not available over the counter, Plan B often is, depending on your area and the religious views of your pharmacist. Often cloaked in the guise of concern for the health of women, people get upset that the ubiquity of Plan B allows women to have “consequence free sex” by covering failures in birth control. Naturally, when Plan B appeared in a vending machine for $25 at the college in Pennsylvania, it was pretty controversial.

Following the media blitz, it was revealed that the Food Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the situation, and in a statement, they said they are “working to gather the facts now, including contacting Pennsylvania state authorities and the university.” Do you think Plan B in a vending machine is irresponsible?