YES! FINALLY!

[filkertom]

FDA approves over-the-counter, non-prescription sales of Plan B.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm not celebrating until I can actually walk into a pharmacy and GET it. Five bucks says that even with this ruling, half the pharmacists will say I need a prescription and most of the pharmacies will be "out of stock."

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

It's wonderful news. I just hope we won't see a bunch of self-righteous pharmacists who won't dispense it (see RU-486) and chains that drop it because they're bowing to pressure groups.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Looks like Roe v. Wade just became moot.

[mtgat]

You mean except for the women who don't know about Plan B, still can't get it because pharmacies refuse to stock it, or don't know their birth control method failed until after they get the second line on the pee-stick?

[scruffycritter.livejournal.com]

I bet many small town pharmacies won't stock it, but nobody ain't telling Walmart's home office what to do.

I guarantee that in an anti-choice state, the nearest Walmart is going to be closer than the one abortion clinic. The question becomes, "how will those states respond to keep the stuff off the shelves?".

I'll give odds that its going to be easier for a Methlab to buy Pseudofed than it will for a woman to get Plan B.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Am I missing something? It's now available over the counter. You no longer have to rely on the devout Christian Science pharmacist who refuses to stock any actual medicine. You can pick it up at the supermarket. As long as there's a demand for the product, someone's gonna have it for sale.

This just did more than twenty nazi Bush judges to cut down on the demand for abortion.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Looks like Roe v. Wade just became moot.

*blink* Gods, I hope you weren't actually serious in thinking that.

Aside from a potential lack of availability, problems with pharmacists who won't even give a woman her prescribed birth control, and the issues involved in rural areas, you still have a myriad of ways women become pregnant other than "I knowingly had unprotected sex."

Every rape victim isn't going to have the emotional strength the day after the rape to enter WalMart and get Plan B.

Girls under the age of 17 still need a prescription.

It is not always obvious when a birth control method has failed.

This does not in any way, shape, or form render Roe v. Wade unnecessary. I argue that NOTHING giving a woman the right to decide what to do with her own body will ever be "moot."

My rights are not moot.

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

Girls under the age of 17 still need a prescription.

Or a friend over that age.

While I definately agree with you that it doesn't make Roe v. Wade redundant, the regs for this have loopholes you can drive a small planet through. For once I'm willing to consider that a Good Thing.

This may sound like a dumb question.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

No, strike that. It is a dumb question, but I'll ask it anyway. Throughout the article, the phrase "Women can buy..." is repeated. Is this just sexist phrasing, or can men actually not buy this product?

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[tpau]

i was jsut thinking that... i would liek to assume that men can go and pick it up for their GF/wife/one night stand... but one never knows. it woudl be sort of retarded for them not to, i mean a guy can go get my perscription birthcontrol refills...

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know -- and, in this political/social environment, anything's possible. Dunno.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Since the new rules require proof-of-age, it sounds as if women will, in fact, have to buy their own.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[mtgat]

I suspect it's phrasing much like would be used for tampon purchases. My S.O. can and does purchase various feminine hygiene products, but the vast majority of shoppers for same are going to be of the double-X variety.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[jadasc.livejournal.com]

The difference, of course, is that it's the rare gentleman who's going to stock a variety of tampons on premise. This, on the other hand, strikes me as the kind of thing I'd want to have in the medicine cabinet in case of emergency. It's like a fire extinguisher: you never want to have to use it, but goodness knows you'll be happy it's there if you do.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[baronet.livejournal.com]

I would hope that a Father of sufficient clue and with a sufficiently communicative relationship with his Daughter could go out and buy her a dosage if she discovered that she needed it. Parental consent is kind of a given in that situation.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Problem is, Fathers of sufficient clue and that kind of relationship are not always easy to find. And a few of 'em are the root-cause of the problem, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

Re: This may sound like a dumb question.

[nomaddervish.livejournal.com]

Third paragraph of the article: "The Food and Drug Administration said that women 18 and older -- and men purchasing for their partners -- may buy the Plan B pills without a doctor's note, but only from pharmacies." (emphasis added)

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Our local family (as opposed to chain) pharmacy, which we prefer to support, has had a large sign up for a long while that says "We do not keep Plan B in inventory. Please be aware there will be a delay in filling your order" or something like it. We will see if this policy changes now, though I doubt it.

I won't even get into the implications of restricting sales to 18 and over despite all evidence that it's safe across the board (mainly to spare my blood pressure :-)

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

I'd vastly prefer that there be no restrictions myself, but considering how long and fraught with political conflict the struggle to get the thing OTC status has been, I'll take what victories I can get and be thankful.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

"We do not keep Plan B in inventory. Please be aware there will be a delay in filling your order"

All the more reason to stock up when you don't need it so it's available when you do.

[skalja.livejournal.com]

Oh thank GOD, finally.

... Is it ironic that I'm commenting with a rooster icon?

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

And I'm just cynical enough to think that it's been timed perfectly to give the Bushies something to wail about in the run-up to the election and distract from the fact that the Repugs have NOTHING to run on.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

They always have fear.

And most of the time, fear is enough.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

I'm excited to see the newest campaign ads from all the anti-choicers, touting how they supported Plan B approval. *sighs*

[realtegan.livejournal.com]

On a related note: http://www.slate.com/id/2148264/?nav=ais (http://www.slate.com/id/2148264/?nav=ais) the maker of birth control pills just increased the price of the pills to clinics from a penny to $18, leaving lots of folks who need birth control ... well, unable to afford it.

Plan B isn't as important if you have regular birth control. But now there will be a lot of folks who will suddenly need Plan B.