Feb. 16, 2004, 2:53PM
NEEDLESS DELAY Stop foot-dragging on access to morning-after pills
It was a mistake for the Food and Drug Administration to put off approval for over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptives. Not to be confused with the controversial abortion pill RU-486, morning-after pills prevent rather than cause abortion.
Except for appeasing foes of abortion, who should welcome morning-after pills, there is little reason to further delay convenient access to this important medication for women.
The FDA is under intense political pressure to maintain prescription status for brand-name emergency contraceptives Plan B and Preven. The agency was set to decide whether to allow over-the-counter sales, but that decision now has been pushed back to May, even though an advisory panel in December overwhelmingly recommended making morning-after pills more widely available as a safe way to reduce unwanted pregnancies and hundreds of thousands of abortions.
Emergency contraceptives have been proved safe and effective at preventing pregnancy over decades of use by women in the United States and in countries where it is available in drugstores. The drug can serve as backup birth control in the event another contraceptive fails or be used after unprotected sex.
Store sales of morning-after pills would help rape victims who are unwilling to seek immediate medical treatment skirt pregnancy and avoid the risk of having to make a painful abortion decision.
This medication must be taken within 120 hours of intercourse and is most effective when taken as quickly as possible after unprotected sex. Finding a doctor to write a prescription in time can be difficult for many women. Offering easier access to emergency contraception will help make every child a wanted child.