FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: |
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Marcela Howell (202) 419-3420
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August 24, 2006 |
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FDA PLACES AN UNDUE BURDEN ON YOUNG WOMEN
Age Restriction for Plan B® Over-the-Counter Not Based on Science
Washington, DC (August 24, 2006) Today the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved over the counter (OTC) status for Plan B® emergency contraception for women 18 years and older. The decision leaves young women 17 and under with the extra burden of obtaining a prescription when time is of the utmost importance.
"We applaud the FDA for finally making a decision after nearly three years of stalling,” said James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth, “but we are gravely concerned that, once again, politics, rather than science, is at play and the most vulnerable women – young women – will suffer.”
"Neither Dr. von Eschenbach nor his predecessors have provided any scientific rationale for restricting over-the-counter access to emergency contraception for those under age 18,” added Wagoner. “Even the FDA’s medical advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to recommend Plan B® over-the-counter for all ages. This new arbitrary age restriction can negatively impact young women’s health.”
The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the Western industrialized world - - nearly twice that of Canada and Great Britain. Each year, approximately 750,000 to 850,000 teenage women in the U.S. experience pregnancy. Over 200,000 thousand of these pregnancies are to young women 16 and 17 years old. With this decision, these young women will be denied over-the-counter access to a health care technology that could avert up to half of these pregnancies.
About 70 percent of all young people have had sex by age 18. Most do not intend to become pregnant or to be a parent at such an early age. Teenage women are also at higher risk of sexual assault or forced sex than are older women. Further, pregnancy and childbirth pose series health risks to young teens. Young women who are at risk of pregnancy - - whether due to contraceptive failure, lack of protection, or sexual assault - - need OTC access to EC. No young woman should have to face an unintended pregnancy when a remedy exists to prevent pregnancy.
Plan B® is an FDA-approved emergency birth control that reduces the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse.
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Advocates for Youth is a national, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
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