WASHINGTON - February 13 - Statement by Kate Michelman, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America

Pro-choice Americans are alarmed at the growing prospect that the FDA may bow to political pressure on the issue of over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception. It would be virtually unprecedented and outrageous for the FDA to jeopardize its scientific credibility by ignoring the overwhelming recommendation of its own expert committees that emergency contraception – one of the most effective ways to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion – be made available over-the-counter.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request demanding to know what contacts have occurred between the White House and FDA on this issue. The American people deserve a full accounting of the way in which President Bush’s political operatives have been working to influence this important medical decision.

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