The U. S. Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved over-the-counter purchase of the Plan B emergency- contraception pill for women 18 and older, and men purchasing for their partners. Girls 17 and under will still need prescriptions. Because of its dual status, Plan B will only be available at licensed pharmacies. (Nine states, however (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Washington and Vermont) already allow some pharmacies to sell it without a prescription, even to minors, and will be able to continue doing so.)
The decision was preceded by the usual political hoo-hah that surrounds any reproductive-rights issue. CNN has more. Some still view the result as a compromise. Reproductive-rights group Planned Parenthood “hailed” the decision, but “expressed dismay at the scientifically baseless restrictions” on teenagers in a country with one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the world.