Statement by Michael Halpern, Program Manager for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists

WASHINGTON (June 11, 2013) – The Obama Administration announced late yesterday that it would stop fighting a court’s order to allow women of all ages to purchase the emergency contraception pill Plan B over the counter. In April, a federal judge reaffirmed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is bound by law to use scientific evidence to determine whether or not drugs can be safely sold over the counter.

Below is a statement by Michael Halpern, program manager at the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“The law is clear that medical evidence is the standard for deciding which pills can and can’t be sold over the counter. The decade-long fight over access to emergency contraception has been all about politics and elected officials from both parties have ignored or misrepresented the science. It took a federal judge to tell the administration to do what it should have done all along: follow the law and make a decision based on the best available science. Thankfully, the White House has decided not to waste any more time or resources on a losing battle.”

Halpern has published a timeline on Plan B decisions.

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