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JAMA study supports OTC emergency contraceptive

Physician Practice Advisor, January 11, 2005

A study of 2,117 young women ages 15 to 24, reported in the Jan. 5 Journal of the American Medical Association, found that providing young women with access to emergency contraception (EC) did not lead them to engage in more risky sexual behavior, despite claims to the contrary by some EC opponents.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), this research supports the contention that the federal Food and Drug Administration shortchanged and underestimated women last year by failing to approve over-the-counter access for the emergency contraceptive Plan B.

ACOG and other organizations have estimated that greater access to emergency contraceptives could cut the U.S. unintended pregnancy and abortion rates in half.

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