Press Release

FDA’s Emergency Contraception Decision Rejects Sound Science: Humanists Call for Investigation

For Immediate Release - Contact: Anne Lyster at (202) 238-9088

(Washington, D.C., May 12, 2004) “Humanists and others who support adequate access to medically safe and accurate birth control and reproductive health care are outraged over the FDA’s decision to reject over the counter purchases of emergency contraception,” states Tony Hileman, executive director of the American Humanist Association.

The FDA decision disregarded the scientifically reliable advice of its own expert advisory panel that voted 23 to 4 in support of making the drug available over the counter. Direct access to emergency contraception is regarded by many experts to be one of the best approaches to reducing the number of abortions in the U.S. Emergency contraception has proven to be safe and most effective when taken within 24 hours after rape, unprotected intercourse, or contraceptive failure.

The FDA’s ninety-day delay in reaching a decision, due to pressure from right-wing groups and anti-choice members of Congress, raised suspicion that the final outcome would be politically influenced. Two doctors on the advisory panel and Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD, the editor of New England Journal of Medicine, argue that “treatment for any other condition, from hangnail to headache to heart disease, with a similar record of safety and efficacy would be approved quickly. Why has the FDA adopted its own plan B with respect to approval for over-the-counter use, instead of going ahead with the recommended approval?”

There is increasing concern over the motivations of the FDA in making this decision, putting politics over science, medicine, and the wellbeing of women in America. “The AHA joins U.S. Reps. Slaughter and Shays, as well as women’s groups and many others in denouncing the FDA’s judgment and calling for an investigation into the motivations behind the FDA’s decision,” concludes Hileman.

The American Humanist Association is the oldest and largest Humanist organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to ensuring a voice for those with a positive nontheistic outlook, based on reason and experience, which embraces all of humanity .

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