Sex Act Campaign, May, 2006

Stall the Confirmation of the New FDA Commissioner

For three years now, controversy over Plan B, a form of emergency contraception, has been brewing at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Currently a prescription drug, Plan B is a crucial tool in preventing unwanted pregnancies whether they result from the failure of other birth control methods, unprotected sex, or sexual assault. Plan B reduces the risk of pregnancy by 89% if taken within the

72 hours of intercourse. It is scientifically proven to be safe and effective.

In 2003 Barr Laboratories, manufacturer of Plan B, submitted an application to the FDA requesting that Plan B be switched from prescription to over-the-counter status. The Washington Post reports that the application “was enthusiastically endorsed by the FDA staff and an expert advisory panel.”

However, the application has been stalled without explanation. In the meantime, several deadlines have passed, and some officials within the FDA have resigned to protest the FDA's handling of Plan B.

Now two senators are taking action that could force the FDA to make a decision. This March President Bush nominated Andrew C. von Eschenbach, the current director of the National Cancer Institute, to be the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) have taken a powerful stand for women's health and reproductive rights by blocking von Eschenbach's confirmation until the FDA acts on the Plan B application.

Take Action

You can support the stand made by Senators Clinton and Murray by sending them a thank you note. Just use the handy form on the Feminist Majority Foundations' Take Action page, www.feminist.org/action.