Plan B is a form of emergency contraception (EC) that is commonly called the “morning after pill.” The drug contains a high dose of a hormone called levonorgestrel, a form of progesterone that prevents pregnancy and conception by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary or stopping sperm from combining with the egg and is up to 89 percent effective for the prevention of pregnancy when used within 72 hours of having sex. EC is intended for use only in emergency situations where unprotected sex has accidentally occurred and is not meant to be used a regular form of contraception.
A new U.S. court ruling will now require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider a 2006 decision that limited access to EC. In addition, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York also ordered the FDA to allow 17-year-old girls access to the Plan B EC drug without requiring a prescription. The ruling comes only days after the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report for 2007 that showed an increase in the birth rate for teenage girls for the second consecutive year.
