FDA CONSIDERS ALLOWING MORNING AFTER PILL TO BE SOLD OVER THE COUNTER
 

OUTSTANDING!!!

FDA CONSIDERS ALLOWING MORNING AFTER PILL TO BE SOLD OVER THE COUNTER
Its called Plan B. But some have called it the morning after pill. Women who use it within 72 hours after having unprotected sex can lower their risk of pregnancy by almost 90%. Its already available by prescription. But the push to make it available as an over-the-counter drug has faced stiff resistance from many anti-abortion activists, who say Plan B causes abortion. For at least two years, the Food and Drug Administration has put off approving Plan B as an over-the-counter contraception. But today, the FDA said it will now consider allowing those sales to women 18-years-old and up. The FDA maintains its concerned that Plan B might be sold to teens. So, to address that concern, the FDA says the pill will be sold over-the-counterbut behind the counter, much like cigarettes are now. The FDA says that would allow pharmacists to check buyers ages before selling the drug.

I read in the paper this morning that the timing of this announcement is politically motivated to make it more likely for the Dems to allow an FDA appointment through without obstruction.

Either way, it's good news.

decision **first** THIS TIME, possible confirmation to follow. this is the third fda chief in five years. time to stop passing the buck. we'll see if the OTC permission is granted. And then stealth-nullified by a signing statement. :tinfoil:

You have been able to obtain the Morning After Pill without prescription in the UK since 2000. You have to speak to the pharmacist, be over 16 and pay the full price - about £30 from memory. If you go via a GP then you only pay the precription charge of £6.65.

Some areas recently had a free over-the-counter service for under 24 year olds, where you simply gave your details and received your pill from the pharmacist. This gave them the chance to talk to the girl in question about STDs, contraception, chlamydia testing etc. Our PCT had to withdraw this service due to budget restraints, although it is still available out of hours.

I think it's a great idea having this available without having to visit a GP. I took the morning after pill as a teenager and was in a real state trying to get to the Family Planning clinic on time. Yes I had been irresponsible, but at least no-one else had to pay for that in later years.

I have missed my Sundae Girl! Hope you'll be back soon, sweetie!

Evidently the anti-abortionists don't understand how an IUD works. The morning after pill would be no worse and appear to be less intrusive.

Shhhhhh! You want them to hear? For once the complete ignorance of science of the hard core social conservatives is actually working to the advantage of women who want to have some control over their lives.

The morning after pill is available here over the counter. I think this was a great decision for women. Then again, I'm pro choice anyway, so anything that gives a woman more choices is good in my opinion.

This has been used for several years.

Problem with that here in the Bible-belt is that some nut-job pharmacists won't carry it or give it to them for "religious" purposes... also there is the issue of them knowing their parents.
It needs to be over the counter.
I wish I could find some of the articles where I read that insanity.

Is it misunderstood to be an abortifacient like Mifepristone?
It's intended to prevent pregnancy, not terminate it, therefore no different than other contraception.

It does not even necessarily affect fertilised eggs - even the drug company information is speculative:

from http://www.levonelle.co.uk/output/Page7.asp

It's that third one that has some people upset. That would be "post-conception", and therefore not really a "contra-ceptive", no?

I do see what you mean. And having done some background reading on sites that I wouldn't normally visit (SPUC for example) I also see that the medical and moral definitions of both conception and abortion differ, at least in this country.

Which of course brings us back to the IUD, but we're keeping quiet about that (couldn't find a Sshh! emoticon, insert one with your imagination)

I just wonder why it shouldn't be left up to the individual woman to decide. Not every woman taking the morning after pill will have conceived, and of those that have, the "baby" is unwanted and less than 72 hours old. At this stage isn't the life of the mother more important?

Tcha, I'm pro-choice so I don't think I'll ever understand anyway.

Fertilized eggs not attaching: happens all the time. If you were ever trying to have a baby, it probably happened to you and you never knew it.

It is estimated that up to 50% of all fertilized eggs die and are lost (aborted) spontaneously, usually before the woman knows she is pregnant. Among known pregnancies, the rate of spontaneous abortion is approximately 10% and usually occurs between the 7th and 12th weeks of pregnancy.

source: Medline, definition of spontaneous abortion

Is failing to attach even considered abortion? It seems like there should be some middle word beween contraception and abortion for that. A fertilized egg that hasn't attached is post-conception, but pre-pregnancy.