Planned Parenthood of Southern New England Hails Obama Administration Decision to Drop Emergency Contraception Appeal as Historic Moment for Women’s Health and Equity

New Haven, CT – Judy Tabar President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England released the following statement hailing yesterday’s announcement by the Obama Administration that they are dropping their appeal to a court ruling this April lifting the age and point of sale restrictions on emergency contraception:

“This is a huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women’s health and equity. The FDA’s decision will make emergency contraception (EC) available on store shelves, just like condoms, and women of all ages will be able to get it quickly in order to prevent unintended pregnancy.

“Emergency contraception is a safe and effective method of backup birth control that can help women of all ages, including teens, avoid unintended pregnancy if taken within five days of unprotected sex.

“Planned Parenthood of Southern New England’s 18 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island serve nearly 70,000 patients annually, and we know firsthand how critical this decision is for women who need to prevent pregnancy if they have unprotected sex, or if they are sexually assaulted, or if another form of birth control fails.

“We encourage manufacturers of emergency contraception to request new labeling quickly and for the FDA to approve all such applications immediately to finally make this birth control option available without restrictions.”