April 22, 2009

NARAL Pro-Choice America Commends FDA

for Putting Women’s Health, Sound Science First

Agency indicates that it will comply with federal court’s ruling to reassess age-requirement decision on over-the-counter access to emergency contraception

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued the following statement in response to reports that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will comply with a federal court ruling calling for the agency to heed scientific findings and allow 17-year-old women to have over-the-counter access to Plan B®, an emergency contraceptive often referred to as the “morning-after” pill.

“This expected decision from the FDA is an important sign that, finally, science will trump politics when it comes to public health,” Keenan said. “This decision is in line with sound medical findings and puts women’s health first. What a welcome change from the FDA under President Bush where, as the federal court case documented, political shenanigans and gamesmanship trumped good health and sound science, delaying women’s access to emergency contraception.”

For more information about this topic, including synopses of scientific reports that show access to contraception does not increase sexual activity among teens, please visit http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/files/Birth-Control-EC-teens.pdf

Contact: Ted Miller, 202-973-3032