FDA's age limit for Plan B: Not a Huge Victory

image courtesy: adamr

Late last month the FDA decreased the age limit for the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B One-Step. The pill a.k.a the morning after pill, was restricted for the use of adult women, including women who were aged 17 years old with prescription.

The judge who had appealed the FDA's previous restriction wanted the pill to be made available over-the-counter to women of all ages, but the FDA brought down the age limit to 15, while making it available without a prescription. But there are still restrictions. Girls who want to purchase the drug will have to show proof of age, and other contraceptive pills and generics will still be restricted to women of legal age. So while this new milestone is historic, it still continues to generate discussion about women's reproductive rights and their choices, as well as parental responsibility.

It's a victory for some, but for many women, specifically poor women who are disproportionately women of color, the access to this drug won't be easily obtainable when you consider the price and it is expensive. Availability doesn't always mean affordability. What's the likelihood that majority of the Plan-B sales will be easily accessible and bought by women and girls of a certain income bracket?

A sexually-active 15 year old from an upper-middle class American family, with an allowance, will be more likely to obtain birth control, compared to a sexually-active 15 year old from a poor American family, whose parents can barely afford adequate allowance.

Class warfare strikes again, excluding a large percentage of the targeted demographic. So is it truly a victory for women?