
The days since January 20th have been good days for those of us who advocate for reproductive health, justice and rights. We've repealled the global gag rule, fixed the birth control funding issue and now, some of the best news I've heard since, well, the original news about this topic... Plan B (Emergency Contraception/The Morning After Pill) will
now be available to people under 18.A federal judge has ruled that the FDA "improperly bowed to political pressure from the Bush administration in 2006 when it set 18 as the age limit."� The FDA has 30 days to comply which will be tough since they will have to change the packaging� but I have to say I don't mind. When I worked as an HIV counselor and tester with teenage populations, we would offer anyone who wanted one a prescription for Plan B. Sometimes their parents would find them and call us up, angry that we'd given them something their child both needed and asked for. Now, we can just direct them to their nearest youth-friendly pharmacy.This is just one step further along in the fight to get comprehensive, affordable reproductive health care for anyone who needs it, but it feels like a really good step. As
RH Reality Check reminds us, "while it's fulfiling to see justice prevail in this case, it's important to keep in mind how many other reproductive health care challenges fall under this same umbrella."