US Senators Call on Secretary Sebelius to Explain the Science Behind Her Plan B Decision. (December 16, 2011)

Thirteen Democratic members of the United States Senate together with one independent on Tuesday wrote to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, questioning her decision to overrule a determination by the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, to girls under 17.

The overreaching importance of the matter is based on President Obama's 2009 signed statement that decisions in his administration would be based on science, not politics.

________________________________

December 13, 2011
 

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary
US Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
 

Dear Secretary Sebelius,
 

We are writing to express our disappointment with your December 7, 2011 decision to block the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommendation to make Plan B One-Step available over-the-counter. We feel strongly that FDA regulations should be based on science. We write to you today to ask that you provide us with the rationale for this decision.
 

As numerous medical societies and patient advocates have argued, improved access to birth control, including emergency contraception, has been proven to reduce unintended pregnancies. Nearly half of all pregnancies that occur in the United States each year are unintended. Keeping Plan B behind the counter makes it harder for all women to obtain a safe and effective product they may need to prevent an unintended pregnancy.
 

We ask that you share with us your specific rationale and the scientific data you relied on for the decision to overrule the FDA recommendation. On behalf of the millions of women we represent, we want to be assured that this and future decisions affecting women’s health will be based on medical and scientific evidence.

Sincerely,