Report Accuses FDA of Playing Politics on Morning After Pill

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 14, 2005   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Report Accuses FDA of Playing Politics on Morning After Pill Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 14, 2005

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new reported expected to be released soon by the Government Accountability Office accuses the Food and Drug Administration of playing politics with the approval of over the counter sales of the morning after pill, which can sometimes cause abortions.

The FDA first declined Barr Laboratories’ request to sell the drug without a prescription in May 2004. The agency said the company did not provide enough details as to how the drug affected younger teenagers.

At that time, the FDA appeared to favor allowing sales over the counter as long as only women over the age of 16 purchased the Plan B pills. Barr came back with that request and the FDA postponed the decision saying it would hand down a ruling in September. Then, the FDA postponed a second time and abortion advocates were furious.

The GAO report, according to pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton, says leading FDA officials intervened to stop the sales approval.

"The draft GAO report appears to confirm what we have suspected for some time: Science was compromised in the FDA’s decision-making process on Plan B," Clinton said yesterday.

According to the New York Daily News, one Congressional source said the report accuses former FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford intervened to head off the approval. Crawford suddenly resigned last month, just two months after the Senate confirmed him to the post.

The Daily News also reports that three high-level FDA scientists would not sign off on the letter rejecting the initial 2004 request for OTC status. That left their boss, Steven Galson, to sign the official papers.