I'm on vacation, so I'm a little late in catching this: After meeting Tuesday with the FDA, officials at Barr Laboratories are saying Plan B emergency contraception could be available over-the-counter within weeks-- but only to women ages 18 and up.
Barr had hoped to sell Plan B to women and girls of all ages, Mr. Downey said, “but I don’t have the ability to get all that I want.�
Like the rest of us, Barr is sick and tired of the FDA jerking them around. So they're giving in on the age issue. I guess this is a step in the right direction. But it's frustrating because the science overwhelmingly shows that EC is safe for women of all ages. The good news is that even if the FDA expands Plan B access for women ages 18 and up, the lawsuit against the agency will continue. This issue isn't going away.
As we've recently learned from depositions in the lawsuit, FDA medical official Dr. Janet Woodcock (seriously, that's her real name) said early on that Plan B should not be sold over-the-counter to adolescents, not because of the science but "to appease the administrations constituents." You'd think that conservatives-- who are worried about fictional teen sex cults but not about very real teen pregnancy rates-- would be thrilled at this 18-and-up news. But they'll only be satisfied with an out-and-out rejection of over-the-counter sale.
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Could you please post a link to the studies (or even a summary of the studies) showing that Plan B is safe for 'all ages'?
I've heard it reported before now, but never seen any references to actual studies, that it was safe for women 16 and older, but I've never even heard of a study checking those younger than that.
Not to dismiss the problems of age restriction, but getting plan B on the market over the counter, period, is the first priority--followed by a campaign to mandate the holding of the medication in every public company's pharmacy shelves. In terms of teen access, this is not a good thing, but it is true that if you can get beer and cigarettes, you'll be able to get plan B once its available over the counter. Ask a friend, a sister, a boyfriend, hire a bum (I had a friend who once hired a prostitute to pose as her mother at an abortion clinic and sign papers for her...the girl had been brutally raped and her rapist had been gunned down mere days before her abortion in a gang fight...Christie was a surviver;) young women will find a way, we always have...to damn bad we're still having to, but at least plan B gives girls like Christie a chance to avoid the pregnacy and thus the abortion...
Bright Blessings Babes,
hnc
When I was 14 or 15 I never had a problem finding and 18 yr old to get me cigarettes.... I don't see why EC would be different especially since it's not bad for you like cigarettes are.