Court Denies Delay in Enforcement of Oklahoma’s New Abortion Restrictions

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to issue an injunction against a 2005 Oklahoma parental notification law that mandates physicians notify a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before a minor can receive abortion care.

The Center for Reproductive Rights had filed the lawsuit on behalf of a Tulsa clinic to block enforcement of the law because it did not create a proper judicial bypass system for minors to challenge the notification requirement.

Parental consent or notification laws which are now enforced in over half of the 50 states can violate the privacy of young women by forcing them to involve their parents in their decisions, even when that may endanger their lives or health.

>View stories on how women have been affected by these parental involvement laws

Florida Funding Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Today, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel examined the state’s funding of Crisis Pregnancy Centers(CPCs).

The article sourced NAF’s comprehensive report, Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Affront to Choice that detailed the many ways CPCs have deceived and intimidated women.


The article cited NAF’s concern about government funding of CPCs and quoted me as saying:

"Taxpayers should not be funding clinics that engage in deceptive practices, don't provide any legitimate health care and take away from facilities that do."

NAF Welcomes the Decision to Allow Plan B to be Sold Without a Prescription

Here is the press release we issued today on Plan B (also known as emergency contraception):

Vicki Saporta, President and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, released the following statement today welcoming the decision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Plan B to be sold without a prescription to adults, but expressed concern that women under 18 will still need a prescription:

The FDA’s decision permitting Plan B to be sold over the counter is an important step in ensuring that women are able to access Plan B in time for it to be an effective option. The agency’s previous ruling requiring that women obtain a prescription was not only medically unjustified, it was also a barrier to obtaining timely access to emergency contraception. By allowing the over-the-counter sale of Plan B, more women will now be able to prevent unintended pregnancies.

The approval of over the counter use of Plan B is a victory of science over politics and is long overdue. It has been nearly three years since two FDA expert advisory committees voted overwhelmingly to recommend that Plan B be made available without a prescription. Yet, it is extremely disappointing that age restrictions will create medically unjustified barriers for teens.

Plan B contains a concentrated dose of the progestin hormone found in daily birth control pills, and reduces the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse.

American women deserve to have access to a full range of safe reproductive health care options. Timely use of emergency contraception could prevent as many as half of the 3 million unintended pregnancies that occur each year in the US.

Bush Gives Support for Plan B

I was very surprised by President Bush’s comments yesterday at a White House news conference.

Bush was questioned by the Washington Examiner about Plan B and said, “I believe that Plan B ought to require a prescription for minors.”

Bush said he backed acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, who told Barr Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Plan B last month: “We believe that the appropriate age for [over-the-counter] access is 18.”
Bush noted at yesterday’s news conference that, “I support Andy’s decisions.”

I was quoted in today’s Washington Examiner on this issue and noted:
“This represents a turnaround in the position of the administration, which has been opposed to making Plan B available over the counter. It’s a step in the right direction. And I hope it means that the FDA will approve Plan B for over-the-counter use this week.”

The History of the Morning-After Pill

It has been more than seven years since Plan B, the morning-after pill, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for prescription use as an emergency contraceptive. In 2003, an FDA panel voted 23-4 recommending that Plan B be sold over the counter, yet three years later there is still debate about allowing Plan B to be sold without a prescription.

Last month, the FDA announced that they would discuss making Plan B available without a prescription to women at least 18 years of age or older.

>View a timeline of the FDA’s handling of Plan B

Health Care Justice for the Women of Québec

Yesterday, the Québec Superior Court ordered the Government of Québec to pay more than $13 million to women in Québec who had paid to obtain abortion care since May 2, 1999. The Court concluded that the Government of Québec violated its own legislation by only partially paying for abortions when obtained in certain women’s or private clinics, a service covered under Quebec’s Health Insurance Act.

> View Judgment (PDF in French)

Missouri Appeals Abortion Care Ruling for Inmates

Missouri is appealing last month’s federal court ruling requiring that pregnant inmates be allowed abortion care.

In July, a federal judge ruled that Missouri policy against transporting inmates seeking abortion care was unconstitutional as it lacked safeguards for due process and against cruel and unusual punishment.

>View Associated Press article

Report Shows Americans are Ready for a Conclusion to the War on Choice

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released a new report on social issues and concluded that a majority of Americans want abortion to remain legal and think that laws on abortion should be made on the federal level, rather than by individual states.

>Read the full report

Anti-Choice Protests Anger Michigan Residents

Missionaries to the Preborn, an anti-choice group based in Milwaukee, angered residents of Muskegon by displaying large graphic photos. Yesterday, about 65 adult and children protestors handed out brochures to uncomfortable passers-by. Many residents called in complaints to the local police station. This was one of the many stops on the group's 12 day Great Lakes Tour throughout the Midwest.

>Read the Muskegon Chronicle article

The FDA May Soon Decide to Make Plan B Available Over-the-Counter

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that they will discuss making Plan B available without a prescription to women at least 18 years of age or older. Plan B can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. The announcement came one day before Acting FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach's Senate confirmation hearing. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) have vowed to block a vote on von Eschenbach's confirmation until the FDA makes a decision on Plan B.


Read the Washington Post article