Plan B- An Obsession With Repressing Youth Access to Contraceptives

According to Tuesday’s Los Angeles Times, the Food and Drug Administration offered a proposal to Barr Pharmaceuticals to approve over the counter sales of their “morning-after” birth control pill, Plan B, as long as Barr could assure the FDA that it would only be available without a prescription to women over 18.

A decision on Plan B has been pending since 2003…Last year, an extensive Government Accountability Office review of the FDA’s handling of Plan B found that it had not followed its usual science based process in making decisions. Von Eschenbach’s [acting FDA Commissioner] letter suggested that the decision would hinge on the manufacturer’s plan for keeping Plan B out of the hands of minors.”

The irony is that most states maintain an age of consent that is under 18 years old. This is a confusing mixed message for youth.

Technorati tags: Plan B, Contraceptives, FDA, Government Accountability Office, Age of Consent