Obama ‘Very Comfortable’ With FDA Decision On Plan B [View all]

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Obama ‘Very Comfortable’ With FDA Decision On Plan B

President Barack Obama said Thursday that he was "very comfortable" with the the Food and Drug Administration's decision to allow the over-the-counter sale of Plan B, known as the morning-after pill, to females aged 15 and up.

"The rule that's been put forward by the FDA, Secretary Sebelius has reviewed, she's comfortable with it -- I'm comfortable with it," Obama told reporters at a press conference in Mexico, taking questions alongside Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto after a bilateral summit.

"I'm very comfortable with the decision they’ve made right now based on solid, scientific evidence," he added.

The Justice Department announced on Wednesday however that it will challenge a decision by a federal judge to eliminate all age restrictions on over-the-counter sales of morning-after birth control pills -- infuriating women advocates.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-very-comfortable-with-fda-decision-on-plan

From the NYT:

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The Justice Department’s action will not affect that F.D.A. decision. Instead, the department is seeking to overturn a much broader order by the judge that removed restrictions for all ages and for generic versions of the pill, not just Plan B One-Step. The order, issued on April 5 by Judge Korman, gave the F.D.A. 30 days to comply.

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On Wednesday, a Justice Department official said the appeal would concentrate on the two areas where the department believes the judge overstepped his legal authority. The official also said the White House had not been involved in the decision of whether to appeal Judge Korman’s ruling.

“This is a decision that the Justice Department is making in representing our client: F.D.A.,” the official said. “This is not a political decision. It’s not had White House intervention or involvement. This in our judgment is the right legal step to take in this case.”

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/health/us-will-appeal-order-on-morning-after-pill.html?ref=us&_r=0