FDA Makes "Plan B" Contraception Cheaper To Buy

The United States is slowly but surely beginning to adopt a more reasonable position on making contraception available to all women in this country. The Affordable Care Act mandates that all insurance policies provide contraception to women free of charge.

That was a good first step, but it did not help women without insurance, or teenagers who need some kind of contraception (but have parents who refuse to provide it). Last April, a federal judge helped to remedy this by ordering that Plan B (commonly called the "morning after" pill) contraceptives be made available over-the-counter at pharmacies -- with no prescription from a doctor needed and no age restrictions on who could buy it.

The Obama administration initially appealed the decision, wanting to restrict those who could buy the contraceptive to those at least 16 years old. But seeing this was a battle he would probably lose in court (and that the position had angered those on both sides of the contraception issue), President Obama changed his position in June of 2013 and agreed to the judge's order.

That was a big step in making contraception easy and accessible for all women. And now the FDA has taken another step -- this time making the easily accessible Plan B contraceptive less expensive to buy. They did this by approving the sale of generic alternatives to the brand name drug. While the brand name Plan B drug costs around $50, the generics will cost between $20 and $35. That may not sound like a big difference to those with plenty of money, but to a poor person or a teenager it is a significant difference.

Now the FDA needs to take the next logical step in making contraceptives easily accessible to all women. They need to make all contraceptives (even oral contraceptives) available over-the-counter (without the need for a doctor's prescription). That is the position of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, who say these drugs are very safe. There is simply no need to have to pay for an expensive doctor's visit to get contraceptives.

Most Americans, regardless of their position on a woman's right to choose what happens to her own body, would like to see the number of abortions reduced significantly in the United States. That won't be done by trying to ban abortions -- since that will just drive the procedure underground and put women's lives in danger. The only way to do it is to prevent unwanted pregnancies -- and the best way to do that is to make all contraceptives free (or very cheap) and easily & widely accessible to all women who want them. That's not only reasonable, but it's the way a free society should operate.