May 7, 2004
Volume 6 /Number 18
Dear Colleague,
On May 6, the United States Food and Drug Administration narrowly averted a public health disaster by not approving the so-called “morning after pill” (also known as “emergency contraception”) for over-the-counter use without age restriction. But the battle is not over yet. Barr Laboratories, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into these drugs, and is salivating for future profits, will be back.
Steven W. Mosher
One Cheer for the FDA!
On May 6, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified Barr Laboratories that it would not approve the so-called Morning After Pill without a prescription. Making this powerful abortifacient contraceptive as easily available as aspirin would have been a public health disaster.
We applaud the FDA for this decision that respects women’s and children’s health and well-being.
MAP pills contain a megadose of the same hormones found in ordinary birth control pills. It works by preventing the implantation of a human embryo, thus causing an eaarly-term abortion. The claims of Planned Parenthood and others that it is not abortifacient reveals an ignorance of human reproduction that is mind-boggling–and self-serving.
While the May 6 ruling means that girls and women will have the protection of a medical exam before being exposed to this dangerous drug. (The claim of some that pharmacists can safety prescribe MAP confuses the roles of pharmacist and doctor, and strips away this health protection.)
But Barr Laboratories will be back. They have been asked by the FDA to provide information showing that MAP can be safely used on girls 16 years and under. Or, alternatively, to come up with a prescription-only procedure for younger girls, while selling them like cigarettes or alcohol only to older girls and women.
But the MAP should come with a warning label: Unsafe at any age. And it should not be pushed over-the-counter on unsuspecting girls.
To learn more about how OTC/MAP means danger for American girls, click here https://www.pop.org/main.cfm?id=215&r1=2.00&r2=2.00&r3=0.05&r4=0.00&level=3&eid=563
To learn more how dangerous MAP Ads Threaten Public Health, click here https://www.pop.org/main.cfm?id=215&r1=2.00&r2=2.00&r3=0.05&r4=0.00&level=3&eid=558
For more information on the Morning-After Pill and Abortion, click here https://www.pop.org/main.cfm?id=215&r1=2.00&r2=2.00&r3=0.05&r4=0.00&level=3&eid=553
For more information on the medical dangers of the Morning-After Pill https://www.pop.org/main.cfm?id=215&r1=2.00&r2=2.00&r3=0.05&r4=0.00&level=3&eid=550
For our full investigative report, click here: https://www.pop.org/one-cheer-for-the-fda/
