President Obama said Thursday night he supports the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow the sale of the Plan B emergency contraceptive over the counter to girls age 15 and older.
“I’m very comfortable with the decision made right now,” Mr. Obama said at a press conference in Mexico City, where he arrived for earlier in the day. He said scientific research supports the safety of the drug for girls and women 15 and older.
But the president said he didn’t play a role in the Justice Department’s decision late Wednesday to appeal a judge’s ruling that Plan B should be available to girls of any age. The appeal prevents the sale of the drug to girls under 15 for the time being.
“That’s a Justice Department decision,” Mr. Obama said.
He said in general that he is “very supportive of contraception,” and he suspects the FDA will be called upon to provide evidence in court whether Plan B could be harmful to girls under age 15.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.