The government is moving the morning-after pill over the counter but only those 15 and older can buy it – an attempt to find middle ground just days before a court-imposed deadline to lift all age restrictions on the emergency contraceptive. Today, Plan B One-Step is sold behind pharmacy counters, and buyers must prove they’re 17 or older to buy it without a prescription or else see a doctor first. Tuesday’s decision by the Food and Drug Administration lowers the age limit to 15 – and will allow the pill to sit on drugstore shelves next to condoms and spermicides or other women’s health products. But customers must prove their age at the cash register. Teva Women’s Health, which makes Plan B, said it would begin over-the-counter sales in a few months. The question is whether Tuesday’s action settles a larger court fight. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York blasted the Obama administration for imposing the age-17 limit, saying it had let election-year politics trump science and was making it hard for women of any age to obtain the emergency contraception in time. He ordered an end to all age restrictions by Monday, for Plan B and its generic versions. Teens are torn on the matter. Fifteen-year-old Mia Stevenson of D.C. said, “I think it would be a supplement for them not to use condoms, but it might increase diseases and stuff.” “It shows an alarming lack of concern for the safety of young girls and the fundamental rights of parents,” says Anna Higgins of the Family Research Council.
