Latest Emergency contraception Stories

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it won't appeal a federal court order directing it to permit the Plan B drug to be available without prescription. The March 23 court order directed the FDA to act within 30 days, to permit Plan B (levonorgestrel) to be made available to women 17 and older without a prescription. Plan B is an emergency contraception drug designed to prevent pregnancy when taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse. In accordance with the court's...

Women's health is increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights, including clashes based on moral objections under so-called conscience clauses, a new study by a University of Illinois legal expert found.Beth Burkstrand-Reid says a review of recent reproductive rights cases shows that judges may shortchange women's health when it is pitted against other legal interests, such as religious freedom, potentially leading to rulings that could put health at risk."Judges may...

In a study of more than 1,000 teenage girls, researchers found that they are able to understand information on emergency-contraception labels as well as adults.Researchers say the new findings add support to claims that emergency contraceptives like the FDA-approved Plan B should be made available over-the-counter as it is for adults. Plan B, also known as the "morning-after pill" can prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. The pill has been approved in the US for...

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday to reconsider its decision on the sale of the Plan B emergency contraceptive, also known as the morning after pill.The court also ordered the pills' producer to make the contraceptive available to 17-year-olds without a prescription, under the same conditions that older women currently obtain the pills.In a 52-page ruling, the court said its order must be complied with within...

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York unilaterally determined in Tummino v. Torti that 17 year old girls should have unrestricted, over-the-counter access to Plan B or so-called "emergency contraception." In doing so, the court overruled a previous decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requiring that minors first obtain a valid prescription for the potentially dangerous drug. The Obama...

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Today a U.S. District Court ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed politics to taint their decision to make Plan B(R) available over-the-counter (OTC) for individuals age 18 and older. The judge recognized that the FDA gave into political pressure and did not rely on the sound science that supported making Plan B available without a prescription for all age groups. Calling the FDA's procedure for approving the drug "capricious" and...

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today US District Judge Edward R. Korman ordered the FDA to make the morning after pill available to 17-year-old minor girls without a physician's visit or prescription and without parental consent. Judge Korman also asked the FDA to consider making the drug available to girls and women regardless of age. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080930/FRCLOGO ) Chris Gacek, Family Research Council's Senior Fellow for Regulatory...

FDA Ordered to Make Decisions Based on Science, Not Ideology WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to restrict over-the-counter access to Plan B (the dedicated emergency contraceptive product) based on age was "arbitrary and capricious" and violated the agency's "reasoned and good faith decision-making." The court ordered the FDA to extend...

FDA Ordered to Make a Decision Based on Scientific Fact, Not Politics NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York rejected the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to limit over-the-counter access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B to women over 18, ruling that it was based on politics and ideology, rather than science. The court ordered the agency to reconsider its decision. It also ordered the FDA to act...

Many doctors don't offer emergency contraception pills to adolescents during emergency department visits because of misinformation, U.S. researchers said. A study by researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said that improved physician education may increase prescription rates and reduce unintended pregnancy. Researchers surveyed 291 members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Emergency Medicine and found while 85 percent had prescribed emergency contraception...