Morning-after pill: FDA may drop age restriction, permit over-the-counter sales
December 07, 2011
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to permit the morning-after pill to be sold to any person over the counter. Currently, pharmacists are permitted to give the drug, which can act as an abortifacient, to any woman 17 or older who requests it, and to any woman under 17 who has a prescription.
"When anybody can buy an emergency contraceptive like this over the counter, you open the door for all sorts of abuse, and especially so when it comes to child abuse and child exploitation," said Janice Crouse of Concerned Women of America.
"Parents have to sign a permission slip for their children to go on a class trip or get their ears pierced," she added. "When you are talking about selling something like this over the counter, you are opening up a can of worms when it comes to parental involvement in their children's lives."
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