NARAL PRO-CHOICE NEW HAMPSHIRE CELEBRATES FDA DECISION, WITH SOME RESERVATIONS
(Concord, New Hampshire) – NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire, the state’s leading grassroots pro-choice organization, issued the following statement in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to grant over-the-counter status to the emergency contraceptive (EC) Plan B ®, to women 18 and over. “Finally, we can celebrate the end of the FDA’s three-year delay to approve over the-counter access to Plan B. Increased access to this safe, effective birth-control option holds tremendous promise for reducing unintended pregnancy rates, and Americans were sick and tired of the divisive politics holding up the decision,” stated NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire Executive Director Laura Thibault. “Unfortunately, today’s decision is only a win for women over the age of 18. The age restriction means that young women under 18 will still be required to obtain a prescription, unless their state already allows pharmacy access to EC for women of all ages.” Last year, New Hampshire became the ninth state to make this important contraceptive option more available to all women by allowing pharmacists to voluntarily participate in a program to dispense EC to women of all ages, directly from the pharmacy. New Hampshire’s statute is even more important following the FDA’s decision. The state’s current program will allow young women to access EC without a prescription at participating pharmacies.
| 
