Washington D.C., May 1, 2013 / 16:05 pm
Critics slammed the FDA's decision to make the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill available without a prescription to teenagers as young as 15, saying the pill is dangerous for young women and can act as an abortion drug.
"Once again, the health of young women is being sacrificed on the altar of 'choice,'" Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, said April 30.
Anna Higgins, director of the Family Research Council's Center for Human Dignity, said the decision "shows an alarming lack of concern for the safety of young girls, the fundamental rights of parents and concerns of the medical community."
Higgins warned that the easy availability of the drug means that the women at most risk for sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections will be less likely to have medical supervision and medical screenings. She cited a 2010 U.K. study that found a spike in sexually transmitted infection rates among teens after Plan B's availability was increased.