New York Judge Removes Age Restrictions on Plan B Pill

John Mitty Saturday, April 6, 2013

In local news which will impact the nation, Judge Edward R. Korman has ruled to remove the age restrictions on the morning-after “Plan B” pill.  Korman is a judge for the Eastern District of New York, which includes Long Island.  His decision is a landmark one, overturning an earlier decision by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  Sebelius had previously banned girls under the age of 17 from purchasing the pill without a prescription.

President Obama had previously spoken out against removing the ban, which many believe was an attempt to appeal to conservative voters, against his principles and his current platform for making birth control more widely available.  The new decision by Korman is more strongly aligned with Obama’s general stance on birth control.  There is still no word yet on how long consumers will need to wait for the pill to be available to all ages, but the timeframe should not be very long.  The morning-after pill is generally quite expensive, which will remain a barrier in purchasing it.  This should assuage the concerns of some conservatives that very young girls will go and purchase the pills arbitrarily at convenience stores.  The action should lead to a reduction in teen pregnancy rates and fewer impoverished families.

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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