Obama Backs ‘Plan B’ Move
President Barack Obama said Thursday he didn’t influence a controversial decision to block the Plan B emergency contraceptive from being sold to young girls without a prescription, but made clear he supports the move.
The president’s remarks came a day after his top health official took the unusual step of overriding the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration to prevent the pill from being sold on drugstore shelves to anyone. Mr. Obama said the decision was made by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“I will say this, as the father of two daughters. I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine,” Mr. Obama said. The president’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, are 13 and 10. “I think most parents would probably feel the same way,” he said.
Under current law, the moncler outlet Plan B pill, designed to stop pregnancy when taken within three days after unprotected intercourse, is available behind pharmacy counters to those age 17 and older. Younger girls need a prescription.
The HHS Secretary said Wednesday the data submitted on the drug didn’t prove it was appropriate for girls to take Plan B without a prescription. Ms. Sebelius, in a letter to the FDA, appeared uncomfortable with making the product available to young girls, and noted that 10% of females reach reproductive age by 11 years old.
President Obama said he understood Ms. Sebelius’s reasoning that she couldn’t be confident that a 10- or 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to buy the drug “alongside bubble gum or batteries.”
Processing your request, Please wait....
