Bishops’ spokeswoman decries decision on morning-after pill
May 03, 2013
A spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has issued a statement lamenting the approval of over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill to minors who are 15 and older.
The FDA’s decision followed a federal judge’s ruling that the morning-after pill must be available over the counter to women and girls of all ages. The Obama administration has appealed the decision; the appeal, if successful, would allow for the continued prohibition of over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill to minors under age 15.
“The FDA has acted irresponsibly by approving sales of the powerful drug, single-dose Plan B, for those 15 and older,” said Deirdre McQuade. “The rule change subjects girls to risks of STDs and manipulation by others, a risk that is compounded by allowing males to purchase the drug even for girls under the age of 15.”
“Many studies have shown that wider access to so-called ‘emergency contraception’ reduces neither pregnancy nor abortion rates, but can contribute to higher rates of sexually transmitted disease, especially among young people,’ she continued. “No public health consideration justifies the unsupervised sale of such drugs to young teens.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
