December 7, 2011 in Nation/World

Morning-after pill restricted for younger teens

Associated Press
 

WASHINGTON — The nation’s health secretary says young teenagers cannot buy the Plan B morning-after pill without a prescription — a surprise move overruling her own experts, who were preparing to let it be sold on drugstore shelves like condoms.

The pill can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex. Currently, only those 17 or older can buy Plan B One-Step without a prescription, if they show a pharmacist proof of age.

The Food and Drug Administration was preparing to lift that age limit and let the emergency contraceptive be sold over the counter to anyone. But Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the agency, saying she was concerned that very young girls couldn’t properly understand how to use it without guidance from an adult.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Nine comments on this story so far. Add yours!
  • oneanddone on December 07 at 12:08 p.m.

    More lies by politicians without regard to what’s right or best. If Obama gets reelected it will change by the 15th of November 2012.

  • Spokalou on December 07 at 12:14 p.m.

    I’m “concerned” that very young girls can’t properly understand how to to have sex without getting pregnant… without guidance from an adult. Which doesn’t stop them from having sex. This is precisely what makes them great candidates for unfettered access to emergency contraception.

  • Jethro_toll on December 07 at 12:26 p.m.

    Spokalou..cant be better said.

    I bet if Kathleen Sebelius’s daughters got pregnant this would be changed.

    Every girl who gets pregnant because of this should be required to be housed in Sebelius;s home.

  • johnclarke on December 07 at 1:00 p.m.

    Hmmm, confusing until researched. She’s Catholic. Still confusing, but there you go.

  • Diana on December 07 at 3:49 p.m.

    Maybe we should put condoms behind the counter, too. You know, so those 15 year old boys can be counseled by their physician and pharmacist about how to best use said condom so that it doesn’t break and cause an unwanted pregnancy or contract a deadly STD. If they are old enough to have sex, weigh the consequences of having unprotected sex and follow that rationale to the need for this pill, then I’m pretty sure they can understand the instructions on the box. Consider the alternative.

  • greyhound2 on December 07 at 4:12 p.m.

    Since Johnson passed the “War on Poverty”, unwed mothers can get a free welfare meal ticket for 18 years with no father needed by just crawling into the back seat of a car in some sleezy alley. Benefits running out? No problem. Just find another back seat to slide into. Bingo. Your extended for another 18 years.

  • johnclarke on December 07 at 4:33 p.m.

    Now, not so fast greyhound2. The father is still kind of required, technically.

  • Diana on December 07 at 5:10 p.m.

    I know, right? A mother and two children stuck in the cycle of poverty and existing on welfare is living on easy street.

  • greyhound2 on December 07 at 5:37 p.m.

    Never use the word “all”. Some or most might apply. With all, there is always an exception. The use of “all” is not applied.

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