Anti-Choice Groups Attack Plan B OTC Sales

U.S. conservative groups said Friday they filed suit to overturn the move allowing over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptive Plan B.

The coalition — comprised of groups including the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons — said it has filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration, challenging the agency’s politically charged decision last year to allow Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, to be sold in drugstores without a prescription to women 18 and older.

An agency charged with protecting the health interests of the country must hold itself to high standards of accountability and resist those who seek to politicize women’s health, said FRC president Tony Perkins in a statement issued Friday.

However, the FDA sacrificed women’s health and committed unprecedented violations of the law by approving the morning-after pill for over-the-counter use. The agency bowed to heavy handed political pressure from Senators (Hillary) Clinton (D-N.Y.) and (Patty) Murray (D-Wash.) who misused their power by holding up confirmation of the FDA commissioner.

Among the allegations in the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia: Plan B’s sponsor Barr did not establish that its product was safe and effective, and the FDA lacks authority to approve the same drug for both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription-only distribution.