Spring Break
OTC Plan B: Three years too long
Daily Kent Stater Editorial Board
Issue date: 8/30/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Feminists everywhere were claiming "Victory!" this past week.
What was the reason for all the fuss? On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraception Plan B for those age 18 or older.
Plan B, commonly called the morning after pill, is effective in preventing pregnancy if taken up to 120 hours after sexual intercourse.
But the victory is shadowed by the fact that this issue has been dragged out for too long.
Women's health advocates and many members of the general public have demanded the FDA approve over-the-counter access since 2003, leaving many, including this editorial board, frustrated that after three years of waiting, the decision still leaves out those under the age of 18. Once again, the decision was a matter of politics rather than a matter of health.
"The decision is long overdue. For nearly three years politics took precedence over good science and good health policy decisions, and women's health suffered," said Susan Wood, a member of the FDA who resigned in protest of the delay in approval from the agency. "While I am glad that the drumbeat for a return to a science-based FDA has had some positive impact, this decision still represents a compromise -- one that could have the unintended consequence of hurting young women's health."
Wood's assessment is one being echoed throughout women's health advocacy groups. With a United States teenage pregnancy rate that is one of the highest, it's hard to see the good policy in leaving them out of the approval. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, each year, the over-the-counter Plan B sales would cut the number of unwanted pregnancies in half.
We see this turning into a matter of who's on your side. Just like buying alcohol, girls under the age of 18 can simply find someone 18 or older to buy Plan B for them.
The FDA argues that it created an age limit because it did not believe that there is enough scientific evidence that younger women could safely use the pill without consent from their doctors, even though in 2004 the agency's drugs chief Steve Galson concluded that it would be safe for all ages to take Plan B without a prescription.
How about this: Instead of restricting younger women from the emergency contraception, use education to explain the complications that could arise when using Plan B and how to take it safely?
Oh, right -- in 2005, nearly $170 million went to fund groups that teach abstinence only in the school systems.
And while the approval of over-the-counter emergency contraception is a step in the right direction, this decision is all about politics. It is a way for the FDA to put a little on the table for feminist and health advocate groups while placating noisy religious conservative groups who are against Plan B.
The obvious stall tactics of the FDA are more than wearisome. Toward the end of 2004, it said it was still deciding if an age limit was necessary. That was two years ago.
A couple more steps in that right direction and the victory -- and the right thing for women -- can finally be claimed.
The above is the general consensus of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.
What was the reason for all the fuss? On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraception Plan B for those age 18 or older.
Plan B, commonly called the morning after pill, is effective in preventing pregnancy if taken up to 120 hours after sexual intercourse.
But the victory is shadowed by the fact that this issue has been dragged out for too long.
Women's health advocates and many members of the general public have demanded the FDA approve over-the-counter access since 2003, leaving many, including this editorial board, frustrated that after three years of waiting, the decision still leaves out those under the age of 18. Once again, the decision was a matter of politics rather than a matter of health.
"The decision is long overdue. For nearly three years politics took precedence over good science and good health policy decisions, and women's health suffered," said Susan Wood, a member of the FDA who resigned in protest of the delay in approval from the agency. "While I am glad that the drumbeat for a return to a science-based FDA has had some positive impact, this decision still represents a compromise -- one that could have the unintended consequence of hurting young women's health."
Wood's assessment is one being echoed throughout women's health advocacy groups. With a United States teenage pregnancy rate that is one of the highest, it's hard to see the good policy in leaving them out of the approval. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, each year, the over-the-counter Plan B sales would cut the number of unwanted pregnancies in half.
We see this turning into a matter of who's on your side. Just like buying alcohol, girls under the age of 18 can simply find someone 18 or older to buy Plan B for them.
The FDA argues that it created an age limit because it did not believe that there is enough scientific evidence that younger women could safely use the pill without consent from their doctors, even though in 2004 the agency's drugs chief Steve Galson concluded that it would be safe for all ages to take Plan B without a prescription.
How about this: Instead of restricting younger women from the emergency contraception, use education to explain the complications that could arise when using Plan B and how to take it safely?
Oh, right -- in 2005, nearly $170 million went to fund groups that teach abstinence only in the school systems.
And while the approval of over-the-counter emergency contraception is a step in the right direction, this decision is all about politics. It is a way for the FDA to put a little on the table for feminist and health advocate groups while placating noisy religious conservative groups who are against Plan B.
The obvious stall tactics of the FDA are more than wearisome. Toward the end of 2004, it said it was still deciding if an age limit was necessary. That was two years ago.
A couple more steps in that right direction and the victory -- and the right thing for women -- can finally be claimed.
The above is the general consensus of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jonathan
posted 8/30/06 @ 7:06 PM EST
I agree, this is wonderful. However, this pill has been available the whole time at Planned Parenthood.
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