If the Bush administration really wants to reduce the number of abortions, it should have kept politics out of the Food and Drug Administration's decision on whether to permit sales of emergency contraception.
Unfortunately, the FDA recently refused to approve over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill known as Plan B. If taken within 72 hours of intercourse, the pill will prevent ovulation or interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg. The pill's ease of use, effectiveness and safety have been widely demonstrated in 33 nations where it is currently available for over-the-counter use.
In December a federal advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to approve the manufacturer's request that over-the-counter sales be allowed in the United States, finding the drug acceptable for use in this manner. FDA staffers concurred and also recommended approval. But in a decision that was clearly politically motivated, the FDA denied the application earlier this month.
Religious conservatives had vigorously campaigned against over-the-counter availability, arguing that ready access to emergency contraception might promote promiscuity and unsafe sex among minors. Forty-nine House Republicans sent a letter to Bush urging him to order the FDA to deny Plan B's application on these grounds.
Their message was obviously heard. In a letter to Barr Laboratories, Plan B's manufacturer, the FDA said the company had not sufficiently demonstrated that teens can take the pill safely without a physician's oversight. The agency did not close the door entirely to over-the-counter sales but said the company had to prove the pill's safety for young girls or come up with a way to keep the medicine out of their hands.
According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, more than 51,000 abortions were averted in 2000 due to women taking emergency contraceptives. The FDA's decision may soothe religious conservatives who believe that the use of contraception is immoral, but at the cost of guaranteeing more unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
