The morning after pill is now legal in the U.S. for over-the counter use, without a prescription, for those over 18.

But what does that mean to you?

Following is an in-depth question and answer page about the decision and how it will be applied for all women, about Plan B, and about pharmacist refusals and how to manage them. Please circulate this information and/or link it as widely as possible, (with attribution to the author, please).

The FDA press release from the day of the decision stated:

Well, for women 18 and older.

Minors will still need a prescription to obtain emergency contraception in most states. Despite the restriction, this is a step in the right direction that was a long overdue. For more information about emergency contraception and how it works, check out this article on Scarleteen's main site: Emergency Contraception. To learn more about the accessibility of the morning after pill in your state GO2EC.org is the place to start.

The FDA panel overseeing the issue of making EC over the counter has not only once stalled on a ruling because they have requested "public comment" before doing so, they have now stated they need even MORE public comment. Bear in mind that, to my knowledge, NO drug before has EVER been required a "public comment" period, and since it is the FDA's job to only consider medical and health safety issues, public sentiment that is NOT about those issues should have no bearing on their decisions.

Not only has the FDA yet AGAIN delayed a ruling on over-the-counter access for emergency contraception with a completely bogus excuse, they've made clear that they have NO plans to make it OTC for one of the groups which need it over the counter the most: young adult women.

From National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy:

The National Organization for Women calls on women's health advocates to join in a National Day of Action on Tuesday, August 30, protesting the decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding emergency contraception (EC).