Judge Orders That Morning After Pill Be Available Without Prescription

A U.S. federal judge has ordered that the Morning After Pill be made available over-the-counter and without a prescription for all ages.

Brooklyn Judge Edward Korman reversed a decision by the Food and Drug Administration and Health and Human Services on Friday on the grounds that the “emergency contraceptives would be among the safest drugs sold over-the-counter.”

Emergency contraceptives prevent pregnancy by stopping a fertilized egg from embedding in the uterus. They are intended for use within 72 hours after intercourse.

Previously, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had made a decision to require prescriptions for girls under the age of 17 years.

In his decision, Korman wrote that “the motivation for [Sebelius’] action was obviously political. It was an election year decision that ‘many public health experts saw as a politically motivated effort to avoid riling religious groups and others opposed to making birth control available to girls.’”

Annie Tummino, lead plaintiff in the court case and coordinator of National Women’s Liberation, praised the judge’s decision.

“This decision is a welcome advance and affirms what feminists have been fighting for all along – the Morning After Pill should be available to females of all ages, on the shelf at any convenience store just like aspirin or condoms,” she said.