High Ranking FDA Official Quits Over Refusal to Rule on "Morning-After Pill"

Susan Wood, the director of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health resigned on Wednesday in protest of the Bush administration's continued refusal to make the 'Plan B' emergency contraception pill available over-the-counter.

Last Friday, the FDA announced it would not make a decision on the so-called 'morning after pill' by September 1 as promised.

A spokesman for the FDA said the issue was the safety of having children under the age of 16 use the pill without a prescription. The FDA's own scientific advisors have indicated that there is no physical evidence that the pill is any more dangerous to those under the age of 16 who may take the medication. Furthermore, the FDA already regulates many items such as alcohol and tobacco and limits or prohibits their consumption by those under the age of 18.

'I can no longer serve as staff when scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled,' wrote Wood in her letter of resignation. 'The recent decision announced by the Commissioner about emergency contraception, which continues to limit women's access to a product that would reduce unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions, is contrary to my core commitment to improving and advancing women's health.'

The morning-after pill is a high dose of regular birth control pills which can reduce the chances of a woman getting pregnant if taken within 72 hours after intercourse.

Anti-abortion forces oppose the pill's use because it could technically terminate an embryo after it has been fertilized.

Ironically, the Bush administration entered into a deal with Senate Democrats regarding the FDA's need to rule on the Plan B pill. FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford won Senate confirmation to take his job only after promising members of Congress to make a final decision on Plan B by September 1. Apparently, Mr. Crawford and the administration will not be keeping their word.