In honor of the Back Up Your Birth Control with Emergency Contraception (EC) Campaign, Pharmacy Access Partnership (a center of the Pacific Institute for Women's Health) and RH Reality Check teamed up to launch an essay contest open to young people 14-24 years of age. Emergency contraception (also called the "morning-after" pill even though it's actually two pills taken 12 hours apart) is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after you've had unprotected, unintended or unwanted sex. Building on our theme of "Got Plan B? Why access to Plan B emergency contraception is important," we asked authors to answer the following questions: What do you think are the most important issues related to emergency contraception/Plan B for young women? Would you like to see greater education and access to information so more young women know what Plan B is and how to access it? Do you want to advocate for the right to access Plan B? We're pleased to present the winning piece by 14-year old Nikki from Champaign, Illinois. Congratulations, Nikki, and keep up the good work! For more information on Plan B, visit www.pharmacyaccess.org.

Nikki, 14 years old, writes:

Many women don't understand the importance of the "morning after pill." It's not so that you can do what you want when you want. It's for that time that something goes horribly wrong. Some people think that EC is a horrible thing, yet what if a horrible thing happened to you? What if you were raped by a man you didn't know, and ended up pregnant? Would you want to keep the baby? What if you had a disease, and there was a chance that the baby could get it too? Would you want your child to grow up in either situation? In one, be normal, yet have no idea who her father is? Or in the other, have a child who couldn't do the things a mother would hope to watch? Your child may never walk, or never talk. The pill should be used in those cases where something horrible has happened. Yes, it is true that not all are using it in the "correct manner." But should those people keep those who truly need it, those who would never think to use it unless something bad were to happen, from using it? No, they should not. If you still disagree - just think, what if it were you?

For more information on Plan B, visit the web site of The Pharmacy Access Partnership.