Barack Obama told reporters in Mexico today that he was OK with morning-after pills being sold to 15 year-old girls without a prescription.
The AP reported:
President Barack Obama said Thursday he was comfortable with his administration’s decision to allow over-the-counter purchases of a morning-after pill for anyone 15 and older.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday had lowered the age at which people can buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription to 15 – younger than the current limit of 17. The FDA decided that the pill could be sold on drugstore shelves near condoms, instead of locked behind pharmacy counters.
Obama, speaking at a news conference while in Mexico, said the FDA’s decision was based on “solid scientific evidence.”
What’s still unclear is whether the administration will prevail on its appeal of a court order that would lift all age limits on purchasers of the pill.
That decision to appeal set off a storm of criticism from reproductive rights groups, who denounced it as politically motivated and a step backward for women’s health.