U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today commended the FDA for refusing to make the morning-after pill available over the counter and retaining its prescription-only status. Smith issued the following statement after the FDA announced its decision in a press conference today in Washington, DC: 

    “I am thankful that the FDA did not take the disastrous step of making the morning-after pill an over-the-counter drug.” said Smith. 

    “It is astounding to me that drug companies are fighting to make the morning-after pill available in stores to any teen that walks through the door and has a few dollars to pay for it,” he continued. “This is a unique but sad case of a drug company putting its own bottom line ahead of the safety and well being of Americans – specifically young people. Drugs and medicines are created to help people, and permitting this pill to become as readily available as bubble gum will have the exact opposite effect.” 

    Smith cited the official Label Comprehension Study (LCS) that reported 33% of women surveyed did not understand from the morning-after pill label that Plan B was intended only as a backup method of contraception. In addition, 19% did not realize the importance of obtaining a medical evaluation if they experienced severe abdominal pain. The morning-after pill also acts as an abortifacient by destroying a human embryo or preventing that fully formed embryo to implant.

    Smith also spoke of the dangers of removing the guidance and treatment of a doctor when obtaining the morning-after pill. Teenagers would be able to obtain Plan B without a medical evaluation or follow-up. Clinical monitoring and the follow-up needed to address the risks of ectopic pregnancy – a potentially fatal condition – would be eliminated. In addition, STD screening, treatment and prevention would decrease. 

    “By removing the prescription requirement, this drug – seven or eight times more powerful than a birth control pill – would be available to adolescents without protection. For parents across this country, I will do all that I can to keep these pills out of the hands adolescents without the knowledge and guidance of a doctor or trained medical professional,” Smith concluded.