Morning-After Pill Not OK Over-The-Counter

[Kadie]

Morning-After Pill Not OK Over-The-Counter

7 minutes ago Add Health - AP to My Yahoo!


By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer

WASHINGTON - The government rejected over-the-counter sales of morning-after birth control on Thursday because of concern about young teen-agers' use of the pills. But regulators left open the possibility they will reconsider.

The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) was under intense political pressure from both sides on whether to lift the prescription requirement for emergency contraception. Conservatives argued doing so could encourage unsafe sex. Proponents said easier access to the pills could prevent thousands of abortions — and the FDA's own scientific advisers had overwhelmingly backed the change.

more... http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040506/ap...

[LittleApple81]

1. So if you cannot get it the morning after, what good is it? n/t

[flamingyouth]

2. Big surprise - ideology trumps science yet again

And women suffer for it.

[prolesunited]

3. So, I guess this means

they want teens to get pregnant?

What makes absolutely NO sense is that they rant about abortion, but then make access to contraception so difficult.

People, especially hormonally charged teens, are going to have sex and in the heat of the moment, some are not going to take proper precaution. Why not allow them to prevent the pregnancy before it begins?

[ezee]

7. ABSTINENCE

is what all the Do Gooders in the mis-administration and the churches want. They don't even want condoms available for the teenage population. They want to roll back sex education to the 1800's.
That way HIV and all the other sexually transmitted disease's can kill off the sinners!

[girl gone mad]

10. Never mind the fact..

that STD rates are actually significantly HIGHER among teens who have only been taught abstinence.

[loftycity]

4. This is really, really bad news..fundies in charge of everyones sex life

The pharmacies could keep the pills behind the counter and just do an ID check for age.

[slinkerwink]

5. WTF?!?!?!?!?!?

[SeattleDem]

6. so I guess alcohol and tobacco need a prescription now too

because, gee, I seem to recall that our government only allows these products to be sold to people over a certain age, and they put the onus on storeowners to card people.

Why wouldn't that have worked for Plan B?? It wouldn't be that hard to check ID at the time of purchase IF THAT WAS REALLY THEIR CONCERN.

[SeattleDem]

8. sure, they'll reconsider, but the standard is impossible to meet!

But in a letter to Barr Laboratories late Thursday, the FDA said there wasn't yet proof that teens younger than 16 could safely use the pills without a doctor's guidance — and it thus was rejecting the move until Barr could provide that evidence.

This is a catch-22. Barr has to prove it's safe and effective for teenagers to use without a doctor's prescription, but since a prescription is still required, how do they 'prove' this? They can't do a real study without physician particpation. Thus, it will never be "proven" to the satisfaction of FDA that Plan B can be sold OTC to teens.

[SeattleDem]

9. folks, this is maddening and unacceptable.

sorry to post so many separate things here, but the scientific advisors "overwhelmingly" voted for OTC status.

I am a pharmacist and I've worked for drug companies and been involved in FDA applications and approval decisions. The FDA almost NEVER goes against the advice of its advisory committees. They have to have compelling reasons not to take that advice.

This is pure ideology under the guise of concern for the health and welfare of our teens.

[Nalgenelover Snort]

11. Oh, for the love of--

"Conservatives argued doing so could encourage unsafe sex."

People are GOING to have sex whether you give them contraception and abortions or not. That's called "reality."

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Nalgenelover Snort!!

Welcome to DU!!

[loftycity]

14. Hey New Yawker99 getting closer to the 700 club I'll be there for awhile

[damnraddem]

12. OH, yeah, teens might use the pill, so not conceive. What a disaster!

HUH?

Yeah, and treating AIDS only encourages more unsafe sex. Treating lung cancer only encourages more smoking. Treating heart disease only encourages more overeating and sedentary lifestyles. Hey, we should just do away with all of medical science, so as to promote 'morality' and healthy lifestyles -- right?

Sheesh!

[MaineDem]

15. Thankfully for Mainers...

our Legislature was smart enough to approve this and the Governor has already signed the bill.

[DaveSZ]

16. Fundies make me so angry

This was a real opportunity to reduce the teen pregnancy rate, and abortion rate.

John Kerry must win!!!!!!!!!!