FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION DELAYS DECISION ON MAKING BACK-UP BIRTH CONTROL AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER

Statement by Kirsten Moore, President of Reproductive Health Technologies Project

Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the deadline for deciding whether American women will be able to obtain Plan B – a progestin-only emergency contraceptive – without a prescription. Three months ago, two FDA expert advisory committees voted overwhelmingly to recommend that Plan B be made available over the counter. The experts were also unanimous in finding that Plan B is safe for use without a prescription.

We remain hopeful that the FDA will heed the advice of its experts. But this latest announcement raises deep concern that political pressure is being brought to bear on the FDA – and that women’s health and well being will suffer as a result.

The fact remains that emergency contraception is time-sensitive treatment. If taken within 72 hours, it reduces the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. And the sooner a woman takes it, the better it works. Requiring a prescription for Plan B is not only medically unjustified, it is also a proven barrier for some women to get this back-up birth control method in time.

The longer the FDA delays its decision, the longer women will be denied timely access to a safe, effective, and much-needed second chance to prevent pregnancy after sex. Over-the-counter Plan B will help more women prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. We urge the FDA to act quickly to make Plan B available over the counter based on the strong scientific evidence and unprecedented medical consensus supporting it.

The Reproductive Health Technologies Project coordinates Back Up Your Birth Control, an on-going public education effort launched in 2002 by medical organizations and public health advocates to raise awareness of emergency contraception in the U.S. The campaign, which features an annual Day of Action on March 22nd, works to inform women that there is a safe, effective way to prevent pregnancy after sex – and that women can get a prescription or dose of emergency contraception today, to keep on hand just in case. More information about emergency contraception is available at www.backupyourbirthcontrol.org.

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