Obama Administration Defeats Science, Medicine, Compassion by Blocking Better Access to Emergency Contraceptive

“I urge the Obama administration to reverse the irresponsible decision of Secretary Sebelius.”

Statement from Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health board chair Douglas Laube, MD, MEd:

“Today should have been a proud moment for the American people and our ability to prevent unintended pregnancy. But the Secretary of Health and Human Services rejected the sound recommendation made by scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove the unjustified age restriction from the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step^®. As physicians, my colleagues across the country and I are outraged by this unprecedented decision.

“For more than a decade, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health—with the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—has supported access to Plan B without a prescription for women throughout their reproductive years. We all know, based on voluminous evidence that continues to accumulate, that Plan B is safe for all teens’ use without going through a physician and a pharmacist. When Secretary Sebelius overruled the FDA’s action, the Obama administration put politics before science and responsible health policy. This is appalling.

“I worry about the teens who can’t get to the doctor’s office or an emergency room for emergency contraception. The Obama administration could have helped these young people—and millions of adults—by letting Plan B sit on open shelves in our nation’s drugstores where it belongs. This is a medication with a time limit. The sooner a woman takes Plan B after unprotected sex, the more effective it is. The age restriction, with its bureaucratic hurdles, slows women down, reducing their chances of averting unintended pregnancy. I urge President Obama to reverse the irresponsible decision of Secretary Sebelius.”

DR. LAUBE IS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS.