EC To Go Over-the-counter for 17-year-olds
Last month, on the eve of the Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action, we were thrilled to learn that a federal court in New York had ordered the FDA to allow 17-year-olds to obtain emergency contraception (EC) without a prescription. In its ruling, the court declared that the Bush-era FDA’s original decision to limit over-the-counter access to women 18 and older was driven by politics, not science.
Now, the FDA has moved to comply. Although the change won’t happen until the manufacturer of Plan B submits and receives approval for a labeling change, this is a step in the right direction.
The court also ordered the FDA to consider lifting all age restrictions on over-the-counter access. Hopefully, the agency will take this charge as seriously as it took the first one. If science is to reclaim its rightful place at the FDA, all women, regardless of age, should be granted timely access to EC.
By Maya Dusenbery
July 13th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
[…] a bit easier. Today, the FDA approved Plan B® One-Step, a one-dose emergency contraception pill. Thanks to a court ruling a few months ago, the drug will be available over-the-counter to women age 17 and older, although women younger than […]