FDA Finally Understands that Science Trumps Ideology

After 3 years of allowing ideology to prevail over science, the FDA finally put politics aside and granted Plan B emergency contraception (also referred to as the morning-after pill) to be sold over the counter to women 18 years and older.  Today’s victory for women across the country comes just days after the Michigan Civil Rights Commission ruled that employee-sponsored health plans must cover contraception for all employees.  The women’s rights and reproductive health communities surely don’t know what to do with themselves as victories such as these are few and far between these days.

While this is a huge step forward, it is extremely disappointing that the FDA will deny teens increased access to emergency contraception, despite the fact that studies show it is equally as safe for teens as adults.  We have a huge teen pregnancy problem in this country: approximately 97 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 — one million American teenagers — become pregnant each year.  Restricting access to these young women is just another political road block that will deny them the ability to better prevent unintended pregnancies.