Case Against Over-the-Counter Plan B Sales Dismissed

This week the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a lawsuit, which challenged the FDA’s approval of Plan B (also known as emergency contraception) for over-the-counter sales to adults. After years of politically-charged debate, the FDA made Plan B available without a prescription in August 2007, but only for adults.

Anti-choice groups were seeking a reversal of this policy, but they failed “to identify a single individual who has been harmed by Plan B’s OTC (over-the-counter) availability,” according to the ruling.

In a separate case, the Center for Reproductive Rights is also challenging the FDA’s policy concerning over-the-counter access to Plan B; however, their case argues that restricting the drug for girls under 18 was based on politics and not science.