NARAL Pro-Choice Texas commemorates the one-year anniversary of over-the-counter status for Plan B®
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2007 NARAL Pro-Choice Texas commemorates the one-year anniversary of over-the-counter status for Plan B® While some women have greater access, many hurdles remain TEXAS -- August 24th marks the one-year anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter sales for the emergency contraceptive (EC), Plan B® -- which is intended to prevent unintended pregnancies and therefore reduce the need for abortion care. During its first year on the market as an OTC product, the pharmaceutical manufacturer of EC, Barr Laboratories, reported a significant increase in sales of EC to adult women. Sara Cleveland, Executive Director stated, “On this anniversary it is important to recognize this decision was an important first step in ensuring women across the country have ready access to this safe, effective form of back-up birth control. Sales figures have proven that women clearly want timely access to emergency contraception (EC). At the same time, many women seeking to use EC to prevent unintended pregnancy still face unnecessary barriers which interfere with timely access. This includes women under 18 who are unnecessarily required to have a prescription to access this safe medication and low-income women who may not be able to afford the $35 and up price-tag.” The federal approval of over-the-counter distribution of Plan B® has not stopped rogue pharmacists from infringing upon the rights of women. Anti-choice pharmacists are refusing to dispense the medication. Even in our own state some stores refuse to stock EC at all. If lawmakers are serious about reducing the need for abortion in Texas, we must work together to help prevent unintended pregnancy through commonsense solutions like access to Plan B®.” In Texas, there have been attempts to limit or outright deny women access to EC. Even though a 2004 poll shows 83% of Texans support access to EC in Texas pharmacies, during the last two legislative sessions some extreme lawmakers have tried to interfere with Texans’ ability to access this safe form of birth control. Ironically, these extreme lawmakers who oppose basic health care like birth control are often the same ones who campaign against safe and legal abortion care – which EC aims to prevent. Cleveland continues, “In a state like Texas -- where we rank #1 in the nation for teen pregnancies and provide some of the least support for women facing unintended pregnancies -- additional access to safe and legal birth control seems like a no-brainer.” In conjunction with this anniversary, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas recently launched a Pharmacy Access Project aimed at both surveying over 850 Houston-area pharmacies to determine the availability of EC and educating Houston-area women about the availability of EC. A similar project was recently completed in Austin. Austin-area residents can use the website http://www.morningafterpillaustin.com/to research access to EC in the Austin-area including price, location and hours of operation of EC distributors. EC, often referred to as the “morning-after pill”, is safe and effective up to 120 hours (5 days). EC contains the same ingredients found in ordinary birth-control pills and can dramatically reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex. EC does not cause abortion nor will it harm an already existing pregnancy; it is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy. After an unprecedented three-year delay, The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales for adults in August 2006. Contact: Laurie Felker Jones, 512-462-1661 ###
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