FDA Grants 17-Year-Olds Access to ‘Morning-After Pill’ Without Prescriptions

The Food and Drug Administration has approved selling a controversial emergency contraceptive to girls as young as 17 without prescriptions.

The over-the-counter pill, called Plan B, had been available without prescription only to women age 18 and older. Girls age 17 and younger needed prescriptions to purchase the drug, which if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, can reduce a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant by as much as 89 percent.

Judge Ordered FDA to Reconsider Restrictions

The FDA lowered the age restriction on access to Plan B one month after a federal judge ordered the agency to reconsider its position limiting access to the drug for younger girls. The FDA today opted to accept the ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman rather than appeal the order.

The judge ruled that the FDA, under former President George W. Bush, had let politics, rather than science, dictate the agency’s decision to restrict over-the-counter access to Plan B.

In 2003, a panel of medical experts that advise the FDA voted 23-4 to recommend over-the-counter sales of Plan B without age restrictions. However, FDA brass refused to follow the recommendation.

The next step in the process is for the maker of Plan B — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries — to formally request that the FDA allow over-the-counter purchase of Plan B by 17-year-old girls without prescriptions. Until that request is submitted and approved by the FDA, Plan B will remain restricted to underage girls without prescriptions.

Controversial Birth Control

Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that contains a high dose of birth control drugs that prevents ovulation or fertilization. The pill will not disrupt an established pregnancy if taken past the 72-hour window.

Officials have argued over access to Plan B for years. Critics of the pill say Plan B is the same as an abortion, since it prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. Supports have said the pill is a safe and effective way to prevent unwanted pregnancy by interfering with conception at an early stage and will reduce the numbers of abortions.

Plan B is actually two pills, which sell for between $35 and $60. The treatment does not prevent HIV, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted diseases.

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