Cecile Richards: The Right Plan for Plan B
In a country where nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, effective birth control isn't just a convenience -- it's an urgent health need that too many women are still unable to meet. We've seen some promising signs of progress recently, including a government decision to require new health plans to cover contraceptives without co-payments. Yet every step forward seems to trigger a reflexive backward leap. This week, after acknowledging that emergency contraceptives are safe and effective for nonprescription use, the government missed a tremendous opportunity to make emergency contraception more available to women who need it.
I'm talking, of course, about the incomprehensible decision regarding Plan B One-Step, the "morning-after" pill. After a careful review of the scientific record, the independent nonpartisan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that the product should be freely available on store shelves -- just as other over-the-counter medicines are -- so that any woman of reproductive age can get it quickly in the event of an unplanned or unwanted sexual encounter. After all, it's called emergency contraception for a reason -- it its meant for emergencies and works best when used as soon as possible after unprotected sex.
After reviewing extensive clinical evidence, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg agreed with the agency's scientific advisors that Plan B One-Step "is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential." By overruling Hamburg's decision, the Department of Health and Human Services has ensured that Plan B One-Step will stay out of reach for too many women -- hidden behind pharmacy counters rather than appearing on store shelves. The product is already available on request to people aged 17 or older, but requires finding a pharmacy, with a pharmacist, that's open. Women also face the real chance of having a pharmacist deny their request for emergency contraception, because some states allow pharmacists to refuse to provide emergency contraception from behind the counter.
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