February 11, 2009 6:05 PM
- Text
Plan B OK Has Political Ramifications
(CBS/AP)
Women can buy the morning-after pill without a prescription, the government declared Thursday, a major step that nevertheless failed to quell the politically charged debate over access to emergency contraception.
The manufacturer, lawmakers and other advocates said they will press the government to allow minors to purchase the pills over the counter.
The Food and Drug Administration said that women 18 and older — and men purchasing for their partners — may buy the Plan B pills without a doctor's note, but only from pharmacies.
Girls 17 and younger still will need a prescription to buy the pills, the FDA told manufacturer Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., in ruling on an application filed in 2003.
The compromise decision is a partial victory for women's advocacy and medical groups, which say easier access could halve the nation's 3 million annual unplanned pregnancies.
"While we are glad to know the FDA finally ended its foot-dragging on this issue, Planned Parenthood is troubled by the scientifically baseless restriction imposed on teenagers. The U.S. has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the Western world anything that makes it harder for teenagers to avoid unintended pregnancy is bad medicine and bad public policy," president Cecile Richards said.
Opponents contend that nonprescription availability could increase promiscuity and promote use of the pills by sexual predators.
"If the FDA thinks that enacting an age restriction will work, or that the drug company will enforce it ... then they are living in a dream world," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, who led the opposition.
Plan B contains a concentrated dose of the same drug found in many regular birth-control pills. Planned Parenthood estimates 41 other countries already allow women to buy emergency contraception without a prescription.
If a woman takes Plan B within 72 hours of unprotected sex, she can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. Plan B is different from the abortion pill: If a woman already is pregnant, Plan B has no effect.
"The so-called abortion pill works by interfering with a fertilized egg after it's been implanted in the wall of a uterus. This new pill works at various states before implantation," explains CBS News medical correspondent Dr. John LaPook.
But the approval of Plan B comes with conditions, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews. Plan B won't be sold over the counter, but from behind the counter. Buyers have to ask the pharmacist for the drug, show an ID to prove their age, and the drug will not be sold in convenience stores. Barr Pharmaceuticals has also agreed to "track" whether the age restriction on sales is being enforced.
The earlier the pills are taken, the more effective they are. Allowing nonprescription sales mean women won't have to hustle to get a prescription, something especially difficult on weekends and holidays, advocates said.
The manufacturer, lawmakers and other advocates said they will press the government to allow minors to purchase the pills over the counter.
The Food and Drug Administration said that women 18 and older — and men purchasing for their partners — may buy the Plan B pills without a doctor's note, but only from pharmacies.
Girls 17 and younger still will need a prescription to buy the pills, the FDA told manufacturer Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., in ruling on an application filed in 2003.
The compromise decision is a partial victory for women's advocacy and medical groups, which say easier access could halve the nation's 3 million annual unplanned pregnancies.
"While we are glad to know the FDA finally ended its foot-dragging on this issue, Planned Parenthood is troubled by the scientifically baseless restriction imposed on teenagers. The U.S. has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the Western world anything that makes it harder for teenagers to avoid unintended pregnancy is bad medicine and bad public policy," president Cecile Richards said.
Opponents contend that nonprescription availability could increase promiscuity and promote use of the pills by sexual predators.
"If the FDA thinks that enacting an age restriction will work, or that the drug company will enforce it ... then they are living in a dream world," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, who led the opposition.
Plan B contains a concentrated dose of the same drug found in many regular birth-control pills. Planned Parenthood estimates 41 other countries already allow women to buy emergency contraception without a prescription.
If a woman takes Plan B within 72 hours of unprotected sex, she can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. Plan B is different from the abortion pill: If a woman already is pregnant, Plan B has no effect.
"The so-called abortion pill works by interfering with a fertilized egg after it's been implanted in the wall of a uterus. This new pill works at various states before implantation," explains CBS News medical correspondent Dr. John LaPook.
But the approval of Plan B comes with conditions, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews. Plan B won't be sold over the counter, but from behind the counter. Buyers have to ask the pharmacist for the drug, show an ID to prove their age, and the drug will not be sold in convenience stores. Barr Pharmaceuticals has also agreed to "track" whether the age restriction on sales is being enforced.
The earlier the pills are taken, the more effective they are. Allowing nonprescription sales mean women won't have to hustle to get a prescription, something especially difficult on weekends and holidays, advocates said.
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