Crawford's Departure Should Prompt Action on "Morning-After" Pill

(Washington, DC) – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called Lester Crawford’s resignation as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration an opportunity for the agency to rebuild its credibility and move forward on a petition to make emergency contraception available to women over the counter.

For more than two years now, the FDA has repeatedly refused to decide whether women may purchase Plan B, an emergency contraceptive also known as the "morning-after" pill, without a prescription. Most recently, as the Senate considered Crawford’s nomination to serve as commissioner, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt made senators an explicit, written promise that the agency would make a decision on a pending over-the-counter application by September 1. The agency has failed to honor its promise.

"Mr. Crawford's departure must not be used as an excuse for the FDA to continue to delay a decision on whether women will have over-the-counter access to the morning after pill," Keenan said. "Crawford's tenure is marred by the FDA's failure to follow the recommendations of its scientific and medical advisory panels. The agency's political leadership failed to take the opportunity to improve women's access to emergency contraception, which could prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion."

NARAL Pro-Choice America is a national leader in this effort and first urged the FDA to give women better access to the morning-after pill almost five years ago. NARAL Pro-Choice America directed a recent campaign that generated more than 26,000 messages from all 50 states to the FDA. 

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032