Press Room

Contact: Peggy Hamill, State Director
Matt Sande, Director of Legislative Affairs
(262) 796-1111, (414) 416-0489 or info@prolifewisconsin.org

Plan B rejected for over-the-counter use but door left wide open

The news that Plan B (so-called “emergency contraception”) would not presently receive over-the-counter status is seen by Pro-Life Wisconsin as a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, the door was left wide open by the Food and Drug Administration in their letter of rejection to Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the manufacturer). The FDA informed Barr that with additional data the administration would entertain a revised application for possible over-the-counter status for girls age sixteen and older. Younger girls could still access the “morning after” pill (EC) by prescription.

“Regardless of the age of the user or the means of dispensing, emergency contraception is an outright health hazard,” stated Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. “Not only does EC facilitate promiscuity and increased risk for STDs, it also prevents a tiny embryonic child from safely nestling in his or her mother’s womb should conception/fertilization occur.”

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a manufacturer of emergency contraception, contends that it does not cause an abortion. They argue that EC prevents pregnancy and thereby reduces the need for abortion. One need only explore the website of an individual abortifacient brand name drug to verify its abortion-causing effect. For example, the website for Plan B clearly indicates that the drug can work to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall.*

“In the interest of public health and human dignity, Pro-Life Wisconsin continues to watchfully work to prevent EC from ever going over-the-counter, while calling upon the FDA to revoke approval of this dangerous abortion-causing drug regimen,” continued Hamill. “The administration should be blocking these toxins altogether instead of leaving the door wide open for increased access to EC by unsuspecting victims.”


* Source: www.go2planb.com under “Consumers Guide” then go to “What is Plan B”
“How Does Plan B® Work?
Plan B® (levonorgestrel) may prevent pregnancy by temporarily stopping the release of an egg from a woman's ovary, or it may prevent fertilization. It may also prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.”