FDA decides to keep morning-after pill from going over-the-counter

Washington D.C., May 6, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Citing a concern that young teenagers may not safely use the morning-after pill without a doctor's guidance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late yesterday officially rejected a plan to make the pill available over-the-counter.

In a written statement yesterday, the Family Research Council praised the FDA decision and urged the federal body to stand firm in its decision. Had the FDA decided to make the morning-after pill been available over-the-counter, young girls would have had easy access to the abortifacient drug, without first consulting a doctor.

"Women taking the birth-control pill consult with their doctors once a year for medical check-ups,” said council president Tony Perkins in the statement. “The morning-after pill is 50 times stronger, and yet over-the-counter access would have allowed women and girls to take this dangerous drug without any medical oversight.”

If the morning-after pill had been approved as over-the-counter medication, the decision to use it would have been “between young girls and a pharmacy counter, with no accountability or safeguards in place,” said the council. “We are glad the FDA saw it differently."

The Family Research Council “applauds the FDA for putting the safety of American women and girls above the wishes of the pro-abortion lobby and we encourage them to hold their ground,” reads the statement.