PLAN B® GRANTED OTC STATUS BY FDA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2006
PLAN B® GRANTED OTC STATUS BY FDA
MISSOURI ORGANIZATIONS CELEBRATE “PARTIAL VICTORY” FOR WOMEN
St. Louis- Pamela Sumners, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s long overdue decision to grant over-the-counter status to the emergency contraceptive Plan B®, also known as the "morning-after" pill. “Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray for their stalwart support for over-the-counter access for Emergency Contraception (EC). They worked tirelessly to counter the opposition’s political intervention because they understand the need for science, not politics, to guide the FDA’s decisions,” Sumners said.
“This decision is a win for sound science and women’s health over political interference at the FDA,” said Sumners. “President Bush could no longer defend his administration’s opposition to better access to this safe, effective form of birth control. In the near future American women will have over-the-counter access just as the FDA’s scientific and medical experts recommended almost three years ago.”
Stacey Newman, spokeswoman for the Coalition Against the "War on Women", a statewide coalition of over 21 organizations opposing irresponsible government policy on birth control, explained that politicians have injected confusion into an issue of women’s health. Said Newman, “Emergency Contraception or Plan B® is nothing more than a larger dose of regular birth control pills. If taken within 72-120 hours after sex, it is up to 89 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.”
In response to Governor Blunt’s repeated attacks on access to EC here in Missouri, Newman said, “EC is not controversial—it is common sense, and any politician like Governor Blunt or President Bush who plays politics with this safe method of preventing unintended pregnancies and abortions is just plain wrong.” Newman is also the executive director of the Missouri Women's Coalition.
Despite the safety, effectiveness and the need for this medication among women of all ages, the FDA has placed an age restriction on young women’s access to Plan B® over the counter. “This is truly only a partial victory,” Sumners stated. “Many teens will still have to face an unintended pregnancy that could have been prevented with timely access to EC.”
Contact: Pamela Sumners, NARAL Pro-choice Missouri -
314-5361-8616 or 312-213-1725
Stacey Newman, Coalition Against the War on Women -
314-494-4399
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