Bush Administration Blocks Access to Medicine That Prevents Abortion
Again, Bush puts far-right politics above
women’s health and privacy
Washington, DC – Putting far-right demands above women’s health, the Bush Administration has blocked over-the-counter access to Plan B® emergency contraceptive, or the “morning after” pill. In a move highly criticized by scientific experts and medical professionals, the FDA has caved into extremist pressures by turning down the application for a safe medicine that would reduce the need for abortion.
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, a leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, has condemned the Bush administration for pandering to anti-choice groups at the expense of preventing unwanted pregnancy and decreasing the number of abortions.
Kelda Helen Roys, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, said:
“Bush has put again politics before science and women’s health. This denial is particularly damaging to the 25,000 sexual assault victims who become pregnant each year, an estimated 22,000 of whom could be spared an unwanted pregnancy if they had timely access to emergency contraception. Many assaults happen on weekends, and to young women who lack access to health care – this move shows the Administration’s lack of compassion for rape victims.”
“NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin is working to expand access to emergency contraception, so that abortion becomes less necessary. The White House seems intent on maximizing unwanted pregnancy, by blocking every measure that would reduce or prevent them.”
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, along with coalition partners in the Reproductive Rights Task Force of the Wisconsin Women’s Network, has initiated a campaign for legislation protecting a Rape Victim’s Right to Know. The legislation mandates that sexual assault victims who go to the hospital be told of the option of emergency contraception.
Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. EC does not cause abortion, nor does not harm an existing pregnancy. It acts to prevent pregnancy in the same way that breastfeeding and birth control pills do. Two expert panels, each made up primarily of Bush appointees, have determined that EC is safe for over-the-counter sale, and urged the FDA to approve it.
Further information about emergency contraception is available at http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/facts/im_ec.cfm.
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