Court Orders Timely Access to Plan B
Access to Plan B, known as emergency contraception, will improve this month, after a U.S. District Court ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed political pressure to restrict the drug's distribution. While Plan B is available over the counter to individuals 18 and older, the FDA had "capriciously" and "arbitrarily" required a prescription for Plan B for those under 18, according to the judge. Because of the March 23 ruling, Plan B will be available to those under 18 without a prescription in 30 days. According to this Street Insider report, "The judge recognized that the FDA gave in to political pressure and did not rely on the sound science that supported making Plan B available without a prescription for all age groups." Kirsten Moore, president and CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, the group that sued the FDA for its failure to make Plan B available over the counter, urged the court to lift the unnecessary age restriction and put Plan B on pharmacy shelves "to make timely access a reality for anyone who needs it." Moore described the drug as "a safe and effective back-up contraceptive method that gives women of all ages an option to prevent unintended pregnancy." For more information about Plan B, click here .
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