Statement of the Society for Adolescent Medicine on Plan B
Thursday, August 24, 2006 5:52 PM
The Society for Adolescent Medicine (SAM) is pleased that the FDA
has made a decision to allow over-the-counter (OTC) sales of Plan
B, a post-coital contraceptive often referred to as emergency contraception,
to women 18 years old and older. However, consistent with the Society's
Position Paper, "Provision of Emergency Contraception to Adolescents"
(J Adol Health, 35:66-70,2004), the Society believes that requiring
adolescents age 17 and younger to obtain a prescription is not good
policy: it increases the risk of unintended pregnancies and childbearing
among adolescents and does not protect their health. Adequate information
is available about the safety of Plan B for sexually active women
and adolescents of all ages. Therefore, Plan B should be available
to all sexually active women and adolescents, regardless of their
age. Avoidance of unintended pregnancies is an admirable goal, especially
in adolescents, who should have access to Plan B on the same basis
as young adults.
SAM's position paper may be found either in JAH as referenced above
or on the SAM Web Site at http://www.adolescenthealth.org/PositionPaper_Emergency_Contraception.pdf
. Should you
have questions regarding the above Statement on Plan B, please contact
either Robert T. Brown at brownr@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu
or Abigail English at english@cahl.org.