Plan B should be readily available

The emergency contraception drug known as Plan B, though deemed safe and effective, remains at the center of the social wars.

Whether it's the ideologically inspired foot-dragging of the Food and Drug Administration or the alleged passive-aggressive "out of stock" excuses of drug stores, it should stop. On Monday, nine women filed complaints with the Washington State Pharmacy Board, saying they were unable to fill 17 prescriptions at four stores in the Olympia area. One woman, unable to fill a prescription after a condom failed, said she ended up pregnant and then miscarried.

It will be interesting to see how the pharmacy board handles the complaints. The board recently proposed controversial rules to make Washington one of a few states that permit pharmacists to decline to fill prescriptions for personal reasons. After an outcry, the board delayed adoption of the rules until Aug. 31.

On Tuesday, Plan B dominated senators' grilling of acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach during his confirmation hearing.

Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., placed a hold on his nomination, pending an overdue FDA decision on the drug manufacturer's 3 ½-year-old application to make Plan B available over the counter.

The FDA's handling of the Plan B application has been frustratingly ham-handed and, as a Government Accountability Office report indicated, political. Three years ago, an FDA advisory committee ruled 23-4 to make the drug available without a prescription or age restrictions.

The drug is available over the counter in 45 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Togo and Uruguay.

Yet some social conservatives, who liken the drug to an abortion because it thwarts a pregnancy after intercourse, oppose over-the-counter sales.

Von Eschenbach this week said he would be willing to consider approving nonprescription sales but only for women 18 or over — two years older than the application's proposal. At his hearing, he could not cite a medical or scientific reason for the distinction.

Plan B is a safe and tested emergency contraception. It prevents unwanted pregnancies, which often lead to abortions.

It should be readily available over the counter. And it should actually be on the shelves of pharmacies that are mysteriously out of stock.