Abuja, Nigeria, Oct 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The U.S. bishops are urging the Food and Drug Administration to reject all applications to make Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, available over the counter.
In an Oct. 27 letter to the FDA, Mark Chopko, USCCB general counsel, said Plan B “is one instance of a drug in which over-the-counter availability, either generally or to a subpopulation, would be injurious to many—children and adults, as well as health care providers and professionals.”
On August 26, the FDA invited public comment on the circumstances under which an active ingredient may be simultaneously marketed in both prescription and over-the-counter form. The notice of proposed rulemaking came in response to an earlier proposal to make Plan B available over the counter to persons over the age of 16.
Chopko included the USCCB’s five reasons for their opposition. First, if Plan B became available over-the-counter, it would make it easier for minors to obtain the drug without a physician’s or parent’s involvement.