Editorials, Opinion Piece Comment on Age Restrictions on Emergency Contraception

May 3, 2013 — The New York Times, USA Today and the Washington Post published editorials and an opinion piece responding to recent federal actions regarding restrictions on emergency contraception sales. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced it will appeal a federal court ruling ordering FDA to make EC available without age or point-of-sale restrictions. One day earlier, FDA approved over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to people ages 15 and older with proof of age.

~ New York Times: DOJ "betrayed both reproductive rights and science" by deciding to appeal the federal court's decision, the editorial states. While FDA's "compromise guidelines" will increase EC access for many women, "the ID requirement represents a significant barrier for a time-sensitive drug," the editorial continues, noting, "Many teenagers don't have any kind of ID." It adds, "The administration's continued stubbornness may please some conservative groups, ... [b]ut it will hurt girls and women and is bound to undermine Mr. Obama's credibility when he calls for principled, evidence-based policy-making on other issues" (New York Times, 5/2).

~ Cecile Richards, USA Today: Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, writes that FDA's decision to allow some OTC sales of EC "is an important step forward for preventing unintended pregnancy." However, the decision "left in place some barriers to access that are not supported by science," such as the "'unnecessary hurdle" of having to show ID, she adds. "All unnecessary restrictions on emergency contraception should be lifted," she writes, concluding, "Expanding access to this form of birth control is good policy, good science and good sense" (Richards, USA Today, 5/2).

~ Washington Post: FDA's decision to limit OTC EC access to individuals ages 15 or older is "inconsistent with the judgment of its scientific experts, who recommended unrestricted access," the editorial states. The piece notes that some observers claim -- "without evidence" -- that increasing access to EC "might encourage girls to have unprotected sex or might subject them to pressure to do so." The editorial argues, "We think the greater danger lies in discouraging desperate teens from using this safe contraception" (Washington Post, 5/2).