Court Rules That Plan B Must Be Available to 17-Year-Olds
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington Applauds the Expansion of Access to Plan B U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must make Plan B emergency contraception (also known as “the morning-after pill”) available without a prescription to women aged 17 and older within the next 30 days. Additionally, the court ordered the FDA to reconsider whether there should be any age minimum at all for Plan B without a prescription. “This is welcome news for women’s health,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. “The original FDA decision on Plan B, made under the Bush Administration, was clearly ideologically based and meant to curtail access to emergency contraception. Today’s court ruling is a step towards correcting that decision and expanding access to birth control.” Plan B emergency contraception is a high-dose version of the regular birth control pill, which if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex can prevent pregnancy. It has no effect if the woman is already pregnant, and does not terminate a pregnancy. Currently, the medication is only available without a prescription to women 18 and older; otherwise, a prescription is needed. “Especially because of the time-sensitive nature of the medication, it is critical that women be able to access Plan B directly from the pharmacy,” added Cooper. “I urge the FDA to rule in favor of women’s health and make Plan B available to all women without a prescription.” NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington State. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. ###
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