June 21, 2006 -- Obstetricians Announce Support for Emergency Contraception

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) today announced a campaign to educate women about emergency contraception and to encourage them to get an advance prescription from their physicians, in case they ever need it. Calling emergency contraception "an important component of family planning," the organization said the public information campaign, called "Ask Me," was developed to help eliminate "logistical and political barriers that currently make it difficult for women to access emergency contraception." The announcement noted that it may be difficult for a woman who has unprotected sex to obtain emergency contraception in the short time the drug is effective, if she must first get a prescription from her physician. The announcement also noted that the federal Food and Drug Administration in 2004 denied an application from the manufacturer of an emergency contraceptive, Plan B, to make the drug available over the counter, citing lack of evidence that emergency contraception could safely be used by young teenagers. The FDA has yet to make a decision on a second application from the manufacturer to make Plan B available over the counter to women older than age 17. The ACOG said it has now joined a number of medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, in support of making Plan B available over the counter. The article, "Group Backs Emergency Contraception," is published in the June 21, 2006, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.