"Morning after" pill still restricted

For now, you still have to have a prescription to get the “morning after” pill, sold by Barr Pharmaceuticals as Plan B.  It acts to either suppress ovulation or prevent an early embryo from implanting.  The chief factor in the rejection, according to Reuters, is the concern that “young adolescent” women would abuse the pill unless there was sufficient supervision.  The Food and Drug Administration has left the door open to the possibility of selling without prescription to those 16 years old or older.

Communique quotes a Planned Parenthood spokesman as saying, "I think these pills would be very helpful to teenage girls and it's unfortunate that politics was allowed to corrupt good medical science."

Young teens, because of their youth, would be particularly likely to fail to take precautions to prevent pregnancy and would be likely to be repeat customers for a “morning after” pill.

"'Morning after' pill won't go over counter," Newsday, 5/7/04, http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsfda073791476may07,0,7330719.story?coll=ny-health-headlines)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5066956
 

RARTL Updated May 2004