For Immediate Release
APHA Supports FDA Approval of OTC Sales of Plan B, But Urges Broader Access
Statement by Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, APHA Executive Director
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2006 – “The American Public Health Association (APHA) today applauds the decision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, an emergency contraceptive that prevents unintended pregnancy. This is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough.
“APHA has long supported universal access for Americans to reproductive health care, including contraceptives, as a valuable public health measure. Researchers have estimated that half of unintended pregnancies could be avoided if women were able to quickly obtain emergency birth control pills, which are a higher dosage of the same hormones found in daily birth control pills. Although the FDA deemed that women under 18 should not be allowed to buy Plan B without a physician’s prescription, providing access to emergency contraceptives for all women of reproductive age, including teenage girls who are sexually active, is important to reaching our goal of reducing unintended pregnancies and preventable abortions.
“APHA continues to support wider public education about birth control and seeks further reductions of barriers to accessing contraception.”
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Founded in 1872, the APHA is the oldest, largest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. The association aims to protect all Americans and their communities from preventable, serious health threats and strives to assure community-based health promotion and disease prevention activities and preventive health services are universally accessible in the United States. APHA represents a broad array of health providers, educators, environmentalists, policy-makers and health officials at all levels working both within and outside governmental organizations and educational institutions. More information is available at www.apha.org.
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