On April 5, Brooklyn federal judge Edward R. Korman ruled that the common morning-after pill Plan B One Step must be made available to women of all ages.
In his ruling, Korman gave the Food and Drug Administration 30 days to remove all age and sale restrictions on the pill and its generic brands.
Currently, girls 16 and younger must have a prescription for the emergency contraceptive drug to help prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse.
Debate over this issue has centered around the potential safety risks of younger teens using the drug.
“Any drug can be misused,” said Steinhardt public health professor Sally Guttmacher. “I think a concern would be if young women are using Plan B as a birth control pill after every time they have sex, if they are sexually active on a regular basis, rather than as an emergency contraceptive.”
In a statement last Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Obama supported measures to broaden access to the morning-after pill.
“He believed it was a common sense approach when it comes to Plan B and its availability,” Carney said.
However, in 2011, Obama was less specific in his support.
“It’s important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine,” he publicly stated in December 2011.
Some Democrats have suggested that Obama wanted to avoid divisive issues in the middle of the campaign season.
The Obama administration refused to comment on inquiries about a possible appeal of Judge Korman’s decision.
Meanwhile, professional medical organizations such as the FDA, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recommended universal access for years.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists made its appeal to provide unrestricted access to Plan B in 2006.
“Timely access to emergency contraception is pivotal in reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the U.S.,” the organization said in a public statement.
NYU students remain divided on the issue.
Some say girls who can skip the requirement to retrieve a prescription from a doctor may unknowingly be carrying and spreading sexually transmitted infections or diseases.
“Minors can’t get a piercing until they are 18 without parental consent, but now they have access to a hormonal drug,” said Steinhardt junior Elisa Angevin, a member of the Newman Catholic Fellowship at NYU. “I do think it will increase sexual promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases among younger girls.”
Others say it is a necessary preventative measure in today’s culture.
“Kids are going to have sex and the age [they start is] younger every year,” CAS junior Karenna Insanally said.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 11 print edition. Sofia Ferrandiz is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
