It's not over the counter yet, but...

Plan B is working its counter-zygotic magic. Which, at my age, is just about the most awesome and necessary kind of magic outside of Las Vegas:

The popularity of the morning-after pill Plan B has surged in the year since the federal government approved the sale of the controversial emergency contraceptive without a prescription.

Plan B sales have doubled since the Food and Drug Administration authorized the switch for women 18 and older last August, rising from about $40 million a year to what will probably be close to $80 million for 2007, according to Barr Pharmaceuticals, which makes Plan B.

The article goes on to report the standard first-line conservative argument against this the pill:

"This is very concerning," said Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research Council, which is among several groups suing the FDA to reverse the decision. "We think this is putting women's health at risk."

This is, of course, just another example of the quirks of the American reporting ethic--that the author of the article was not able to present the reader with the fact that this objection is based on lies.

Also, in case you're wondering, here's a non-biochemical but still instructive description of how Plan B works:

Sarah, 27, a school counselor who lives in the District, was glad she did not need a prescription after the condom her boyfriend was using came off last month.

"I just went to the pharmacy, and it was so easy," she said, asking that her last name not be used. "It's a really good option."

Got that? Unexpected sperm? Go to the pharmacy. Easy as Tylenol (though pricier). No word on who Sarah is or where she lives. Which must be infuriating for conservatives for whom this anecdote drives into arm-flailing, eye-gouging hysterics. Also we get this news.

[T]he teen birthrate has been declining, while the percentage of high school students engaging in sexual behavior remained relatively stable. About 47 percent of high school students -- 4.6 million teens -- reported having had sexual intercourse in 2005, down from 54 percent in 1991.

Whoops! There goes their second-line argument. Looks like in the end this stuff doesn't turn our daughters into whores. Shame, that.