NCJW Lauds Victory for Young Women in Emergency Contraception Case
March 24, 2009, Washington, DC -- The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today applauded the decision by the US District Court for Eastern New York requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revisit its restrictions on over-the-counter sales of Plan B emergency contraception. The court also gave the FDA 30 days to end its ban on such sales to 17-year-old women. NCJW President Nancy Ratzan released the following statement:
“NCJW is pleased by today’s US District Court’s decision from New York expanding young women’s access to contraception. The court ordered the FDA to permit women 17 years and older to purchase Plan B emergency contraception without a prescription. Additionally, the decision directed the FDA to reconsider its ban for all women under 18.
“This decision is a great victory for young women, for public health, and for putting science ahead of ideology. The court was right to find the FDA’s actions were made ‘in bad faith and in response to political pressure.’ The FDA’s decision-making process, the court said, ‘departed in significant ways from the agency's normal procedures,’ and the agency engaged in ‘repeated and unreasonable delays.’ In this case it would be hard to overstate the degree to which political interference and nonscientific issues tainted FDA consideration.
“NCJW is proud to have been part of the fight to make EC widely available for more than ten years. NCJW members played an active role throughout, and we are deeply gratified that the judge upheld our view of the facts and the policy involved in emergency contraception.”
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.
Contact:
Emily Alfano
202 296 2588 x5; emily@ncjwdc.org