By EDITORIAL BOARD - THE WASHINGTON POST
Added: Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:21:56 UTC

It's disappointing to see the Obama administration ignore science for fear of offending the religious lobby. The result? More unplanned pregnancies for both teens and adults.
Sean Faircloth

PRESIDENT OBAMA, backing the decision to prevent the Plan B emergency contraceptive from being sold to girls under 17 without a prescription, emphasized the need to “apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine.” We agree with that standard, and we understand Mr. Obama’s instinctive reaction, as the father of two daughters, that parents should be involved before girls resort to emergency contraception. But the Obama administration ultimately made the wrong call on this difficult and emotionally charged issue.

Science argues in favor of making Plan B available without a prescription, but science cannot provide the full answer. The decision to broaden access to Plan B presents difficult issues of policy, taking into account concern about parental rights, the unfortunate fact of widespread sexual activity among teenagers and the importance of ensuring access to effective contraception. In the end, this balance tilts, in our judgment, in favor of broader availability of Plan B.

The medication has been available without a prescription to women 17 and older since 2007. Earlier this year, its manufacturer, Teva Women’s Health Inc., sought approval from the Food and Drug Administration to make the drug available over the counter to all ages. The agency agreed, finding that Plan B was, as FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg maintained, “safe and effective in adolescent females” and could be used properly without expert advice.
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TAGGED: MEDICINE, POLITICS, RELIGION