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June 11, 2013

Obama Admin to Allow Unrestricted Sale of Morning-After Pill 
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The Obama administration is dropping its opposition to the unrestricted
sale of emergency contraception, allowing one type of morning-after pill
– Plan B One Step – to be sold on store shelves, just like any other
over-the-counter medication. Reproductive justice advocates hailed the
move as a landmark victory that caps a more than decade-long battle for
access. Amid a series of legal defeats for the Obama administration over
the restrictions, a federal judge accused it of being “unreasonable”
and blocking access for political reasons. Drug regulators actually
approved over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception back in 2011,
but Obama's health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius,
overruled that decision in an unprecedented move, forcing those under 17
to obtain a prescription. Despite reversing its stance on Plan B One
Step, the administration says it will continue to oppose unrestricted
sales of the two-pill version, in part, it says, because it's concerned
adolescents might not understand how to take the two pills.

 

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