FDA Debating Morning-After Pill Again
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is about to decide on another petition to allow over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, Plan B®. The deadline for the agency's decision was Thursday, January 20, but the FDA has delayed their decision.
If it were up to medical experts and scientists, the morning-after pill which significantly reduces a woman's chance of becoming pregnant after sex or sexual assault would have been available without a prescription last year. But science doesn't seem to matter when it comes to making policy on women's reproductive health in the Bush Administration. In May 2004, President Bush's FDA rejected the recommendations of its own experts and denied an application to make EC available to women over the counter.
Will the FDA do the right thing this time and help women prevent unintended pregnancy? Or will politics prevail AGAIN? Please sign this petition to send a message to the FDA encouraging the agency to approve EC for over-the-counter status.
Dr. Lester M. Crawford
Deputy Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Dear Deputy Commissioner Crawford,
I urge you to approve an application to make Plan B available to women over the counter, Docket 2001P-0075, The Switch Status of EC from Rx to OTC.
Plan B, a safe and effective emergency contraceptive (EC), could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by half - but only if it is used very soon after unprotected sex. Improving access to EC is particularly important for survivors of sexual assault, the majority of whom do not receive information about EC in the emergency room.
A recent study has demonstrated that improved access to EC will not increase risky sexual behavior. In fact, a new study showed that women who had EC readily available did not engage in unprotected sex in higher rates than other women.
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Sincerely,
[Your name]
