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Use of emergency contraception has more than doubled recently, the New York Times reports. New federal data shows that between 2006 and 2010, 11% of sexually active women used the so-called “morning after pill,” up from 4% in 2002. And among early-twenty-somethings, almost 25% having used morning-after pills at some point. More
Who knew one of the last bastions of paranoid, reactionary religious wingnuttery in corporate America was the discount craft-goods emporium known as Hobby Lobby? The retailer has announced it will stick it to the heathen health care law proponents by refusing to offer employees health insurance that covers emergency contraception. More
In an effort to reduce the 7,000 teen pregnancies each year in New York City, the Department of Education is launching a controversial new solution: The nurse’s office will hand out Plan B emergency contraceptives to girls as young as 14. As in, “Honey, don’t forget your lunch and your math homework, and be sure to stop by the nurse for your morning-after pill today.” More
The truth is this: young women aged 17 or older are legally permitted to acquire Plan B One-Step or similar “morning-after” medication (Next Choice or other generics) without a prescription. They just have to go to a pharmacist and ask for it. So…why are 19% of 17-year-olds being told by pharmacists that they can’t have it? Easy: either the pharmacists are unaware of the law, or they are lying. More
Last year, the FDA toyed with the idea of making Plan B available to girls under the age of 17 without a prescription, but U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius quickly quashed the plan, stating essentially that teenagers were too dumb to read the label and take the drug as directed, and that they would still need a prescription. But according to not one, but three studies, she is wrong. Teenagers are perfectly able to understand the drug and how to use it. More
Federal judge Ronald B. Leighton ruled yesterday that pharmacists can refuse to hand out Plan B One-Step for religious reasons, on grounds that it’s unconstitutional to overstep their right to “conscientious objection.” The good news? You can also refuse to patronize drug stores that won’t stock drugs for religious reasons. More
Amidst the concerns about selling the “morning-after pill”, Plan B, over the counter (including Obama not wanting his daughters to have access to it, there is another controversy brewing. This time, it’s over a Pennsylvania college that is making the emergency contraceptive available in vending machines. It’s a potentially dangerous move with some serious health risks. More
Heading into 2012, it seems the issue that’ll be dominating sexual health headlines is access to Plan B, the ‘morning after’ birth control pill. The next move in the ongoing political saga over emergency contraceptive sales lies with a federal judge in Brooklyn—and that could be a very good thing. More
Last week, amidst hints that the Food and Drug Administration might approve over-the-counter sales of ‘morning-after pill’ Plan B, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stepped in prevent that from happening. Now people are worrying that the Plan B ruling, along with FDA concern over certain newer-generation birth control pills such as Yaz, may have ‘long-lasting effects on women’s perceptions of’ birth control safety’ and ‘turn women off the pill.’ But I think it’s real health concerns, not just politics or press, that turns women off certain forms of birth control. More
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For those who don’t know, the emergency contraception – two pills you take with water – came very close to being offered in drugstores without a prescription thanks to the FDA’s approval. It was pretty much a done deal, actually, until Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overturned the ruling, claiming that girls under 17 won’t understand how to use it properly (because, you know, swallowing pills is complicated business). That means that if you’re under 17 and, say, your condom broke – well, you’re out of luck.
This all brings me back to the time I took the morning-after pill (not sure if was called Plan B back then, but it was the same deal). More
In a press conference today, Barack Obama voiced his support for Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius‘ decision against putting plan B on drugstore shelves alongside other over-the-counter drugs, citing his personal wish to make sure that it’s not available to his daughters. The Food and Drug Administration conducted extensive research that showed it would be safe to sell the teens under the age of 16 without prescription, but Sebelius disagreed. More
Despite hints that the FDA was considering making Plan B, also known as the “morning-after pill“, available to young women under the age of 17 without a prescription, a surprise block from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has barred access without a physician’s consent. Her reasoning? That the information presented by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Plan B’s maker, didn’t sufficiently prove that teenage girls would be able to understand how to take the drug. More
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, the morning-after birth control pill. Over-the-counter sales would let women purchase emergency contraception in more locations—drugstores, supermarkets—without regard to restricted pharmacy hours. So what’s taking them so long? More
So xoJane’s beauty and health director Cat Marnell published a post about New York City’s Plan B shortage this week, and it’s actually—believe it or not—caused us to pause, stop reading about Beyonce’s fake pregnancy, and wonder: Is she serious? And is she really xoJane’s health director? Our answers are, essentially: Yes and yes. More
