Alycia Brown, a 14 year old eighth grader in La Crosse, Wisconsin died of blood clots in her lower pelvis on May 7 of this year. The girl had been using the Ortho Evra patch on request of her parents, who feared the girl’s signs of being sexually active. Their other preferred option was a birth control shot, but the girl was afraid of needles. Ortho-McNeil acknowledged, only last week, that the patch increased chances of blood clotting, strokes, and death in women using the patch over other contraceptive forms. They admit that women taking the patch will be exposed to up to 60% more estrogen than those who use other birth control methods. Let this be a warning and a sad reminder to those potentially in danger of such risks, and their families. Alycia Brown’s parents will not forget Ortho Evra.