Pill politics

With an emergency contraceptive widely available to adults, some abortions will never happen, and that's good news

Human nature creates the demand for Plan B, the morning-after pill approved last week for over-the-counter sales. If people make mistakes behind the wheel of a race car going 200 mph, and they do, people definitely will make mistakes in moments of passion.

Based on need as well as science, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was right to give Barr Pharmaceuticals a green light.

The approval means that it's safe for adult women to take a larger dose of the hormone found in the standard birth control pill within 72 hours of sex to prevent fertilization of the female egg. Averting an unwanted pregnancy prevents a problem for society while sparing it the moral dilemma of destroying microscopic life. Conservative politicians have long exploited the latter concern.

Prescription sales of Plan B received FDA approval in 1999 but Barr, the manufacturer, immediately petitioned for over-the-counter sales. Since then, one FDA official has resigned over the Bush administration's foot-dragging on Plan B, and the Senate has blocked two FDA appointments.

The Government Accountability Office investigated complaints about delays. Last October, the office found that the FDA had rejected over-the-counter sales before a scientific review had been completed. That was an embarrassment for a regulatory agency that's supposed to base its decisions on hard facts, not politics.

What came of the wrangle is, from a parent's perspective, a healthy compromise. The FDA can point to scientific grounds for requiring minors to have a prescription to buy Plan B. As noted by Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, acting FDA commissioner, there isn't enough research to be sure that large doses of this hormone are safe for girls under 18.

The FDA sets useful parameters, relying on Barr to ensure that pharmacies take seriously their duty to follow the rules on Plan B. The company must go as far as to send in "anonymous shoppers" and report violations to state pharmacy regulators.

Parents of resourceful teenagers must realize it's not a fool-proof system. Yet it does create a barrier that parents can put to good use by talking with their kids about sex, not about contraception so much as their values.

In a culture obsessed with sex, parents need to explain the value they place on abstinence before marriage, if any. Where there is open communication, teenagers will ask questions and practical information can be offered. For starters, Plan B isn't intended to be used habitually.

Yet for the drug to be effective in preventing pregnancy, it must be taken without delay. The FDA's approval means it is safe for adults to do so without finding a doctor to serve as intermediary. Young teenagers need the guidance of their parents, which often is the most effective contraceptive around.