OMG! They're going to ban Postinor 2!!!

If you’ve ever had sexual dealings with the opposite sex (for guys), or if you’ve ever had sex (for ladies), then you’ll be familiar with the drug, Postinor 2. . . That’s not the news: The news making the rounds is that the Federal Government of Nigeria is planning to ban the over-the-counter drug.

Postinor 2, often called the ‘Morning After Pill’ is an emergency contraceptive that can be used after unprotected sex, or where a contraceptive pill has failed. No wonder it’s a hit with Nigerian girls. But now, it may no longer be available for use here in naija – say what?!

I’m thinking: Postinor 2, as effective as it is, might actually be doing more good than evil. Family health protagonists and health workers constantly advocate for safe family planning methods, and decry the fact that a lot of girls either DO NOT use any FP tools, or use unsafe and health damaging drugs, thereby putting themselves at risk, so, me thinks that Postinor 2 might actually be the savior we’ve all come to clamor for.

Truth be told, there are side effects (nausea, tender breasts, lower abdominal pains), but such can be said about any other drug. Having said that; Postinor 2 is used only as an emergency measure, not as a regular method of contraception, and is used only once during a woman’s menstrual cycle, otherwise it’s liable to mess it all up.

The girls are thinking safety; the guys are blissfully ignorant, and the world is a happy place. Now the FG is planning on spoiling it all and killing fruitful – forgive the irony – relationships. Are they on the right track? Is this what they should be focusing on? I don’t know, I really don’t know. . . .

Now, we all like to believe the FG of Nigeria is a mix of rational-thinking people, people who do things, or who make rational decisions. That being said, the question remains: why are they banning it? Could it be because they want Nigeria’s population to soar, or because they want to create social welfare for unwanted children (Somehow I doubt that)? Maybe they’re looking at a better drug, a more effective drug, one with fewer side effects. Whatever the reason, something doesn’t happen in Nigeria without someone gaining, because a ban on one hand makes possible an entry on the other (just thinking). Who gains from the ban? Who loses? Who makes the ban possible, and what machineries make it possible for parties involved in this scenario to make their play?

For me, the issue may not actually be about the ban itself, but what happens in the background; in the corridors of power; within the health sector; between the various drug manufacturers and distributors; between the manufacturers of Postinor 2 and their rivals. Is there a plan in the works for a Postinor 3, or is a rival company lobbying the FG of Nigeria for the ban so it can get the rights to import a rival drug? I wonder. . .