FDA to allow over-the-counter sales of 'morning-after' pill to teens 15 and up
May 01, 2013
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that the “morning-after” pill should be freely available without a prescription to all women over the age of 14.
The introduction of the “emergency contraceptive” pill to the American marketing has caused persistent political and legal debate. In 2011 the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, said that the pill should be made available only to women over the age of 17. That decision prompted a lawsuit, and a federal judge in New York ruled early in April that the pill must be available to females of all ages. The FDA ruling stops short of the full availability that the judge ordered. The Obama administration has not announced whether or not it will appeal the court ruling.
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Further information:
- Drug Agency Lowers Age for Next-Day Birth Control (New York Times)
- FDA: Morning-after pill to move over-the-counter (AP)
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Posted by: AgnesDay -
May. 01, 2013 4:51 PM ET USA
You have to ask yourself who would bring a lawsuit like this. How will anyone track the effect of these incredibly powerful drugs on young girls who use them, and who surely will not notify their parents that they are.
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Posted by: Defender -
May. 01, 2013 4:21 PM ET USA
Here I always thought we were responsible for our children until they became adults...
