The morning-after pill is available over-the-counter after a federal court overturned the Obama administration's requirement that only women over the age of 17 could obtain emergency contraception without a prescription, CNN reports April 5.
On Friday, Judge Edward Korman of the District Court of Eastern New York ordered the FDA to lift the restriction for emergency contraception within 30 days. He called the ban “a strong showing of bad faith and improper political influence.”
The FDA couldn't comment on the morning-after pill case, but the U.S. Justice Dept. is considering filing an appeal. A spokeswoman with the department said they are "currently reviewing the opinion."
Judge Korman wrote this to the FDA:
“The decisions of the Secretary with respect to Plan B One-Step…were arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable. Make levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives available without a prescription and without point-of-sale or age restrictions within thirty days.”
White House press secretary Jay Carney says Obama still supports his 2011 decision which backed "Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ 2011 decision to reject a request to allow teenage girls and women to buy Plan B over-the-counter in drugstores and pharmacies," the Washington Post reports.
As it stands now, Plan B, an emergency contraceptive for women, is available to girls under the age of 17 by prescription and women older need to request it from a pharmacist.
How do you feel about the contraceptive being available to all women in 30 days?
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