Judge Orders Morning-After Pill Available for All Ages

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Fri Apr 5, 2013, 09:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: NY Times

Judge Orders Morning-After Pill Available for All Ages
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: April 5, 2013

A federal judge has ruled that the Unites States government must make the most common morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages, instead of requiring a prescription for girls 16 and under.

The decision, on a fraught and politically controversial subject, comes after a decade-long fight over who should have access to the pill and under what circumstances, and it counteracts an unprecedented move by the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services secretary who in 2011 overruled a recommendation by the Food and Drug Administration to make the pill available for all ages without a prescription.

<snip>

Judge Korman ordered the F.D.A. to lift any age and sale restrictions on the pill, Plan B One-Step, and its generic versions, within 30 days.

The F.D.A. and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the ruling Friday morning or indicate whether the government would file an appeal, saying the decision was being reviewed.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/health/judge-orders-fda-to-make-morning-after-pill-available-over-the-counter-for-all-ages.html?hp&_r=0

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This was a breaking news and what was posted is all that they had so far. This will be big news.

Edit to add that there is more in the article now and an additional excerpt was added (within post limits).

[trailmonkee]

1. the big part is, over-the-counter, for all ages.... here's a different link

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/health/judge-orders-fda-to-make-morning-after-pill-available-over-the-counter-for-all-ages.xml

[katmondoo]

2. This is great news. I hope it can't be overturned

[Cal Carpenter]

3. Now we just have to make sure kids are educated

about this stuff. Well, and how sex actually works and birth control in general and all those other pesky details about reproductive health that seems to have vanished from the curriculum since I went to school back in the puritanical days.

[shenmue]

4. This is good

I hope it stays.

[Sunlei]

5. cool, article says this was 10 years in the court system?

It's basicly over the counter if you have a older friend get it for you or have the means to buy from another country.

I hope the NYT expands on the story with links to the Federal court.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Yes they now have the link to the court decision -see below

https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/news/memorandum-and-order-12-cv-273-tummino-et-al-v-hamburg-et-al

[Sunlei]

8. Thanks for posting, I like reading them.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. No problem

The dockets are cool to read!

[Ilsa]

7. Good. There's no reason why it shouldn't be available. nt

[EC]

10. I'm glad it's available

but don't most medicines have age limits? Like children below the age of 12 shouldn't take adult tylenol etc.? Is there an age where this isn't safe?

[BumRushDaShow]

12. It is targeted to those whose ovaries have matured enough to ovulate

and the age can sometimes go as low as the mid- late-single digits in extreme cases (6 - 9). I would think if a child has been raped or otherwise has had sex at such a young age, some sort of medical attention should occur and options looked at.

[joanbarnes]

11. What a novel way to lessen the number of abortions.

[redqueen]

13. K&R! And another link...

Finally.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/05/judge-strikes-down-plan-bs-age-restrictions/

[Orsino]

14. And those pharmacists who confuse it with abortion?

Will they still be allowed to force girls and women to become pregnant?

[Myrina]

15. If it's OTC, does it even need a scrip?

May be a way to completely bypass the 12th century theological pharmacists out there.

[Orsino]

16. I would hope not.

The big-box drug stores aren't managed by pharmacists, who (I think) don't control inventory.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

17. STD's?

Just playing devil's advocate for a minute, do you guys think this will have any affect on the number of STD's in women (and more specifically, younger women/girls)?

[Posteritatis]

19. I rather doubt it. (nt)

[WhoWoodaKnew]

20. Somebody should at least track HPV just in case

That's the one that I think is gonna cause even more problems in the future.

[Posteritatis]

21. I rather doubt that, too. (nt)

[WhoWoodaKnew]

22. More info on STDs is not a bad thing

[Tx4obama]

18. Kick n/t

[forestpath]

23. K&R

[Myrina]

24. Meanwhile, Pence (Gov- IN - Teaparty) basically outlawed it.

So who's got jurisdiction, Feds or States?