Apache Junction, Ariz., Dec. 8 -
The Pinal County Greens today passed a resolution strongly condemning the Obama administration's decision to overrule the Food and Drug Administration's plan to make emergency contraceptives available over the counter, including to teenagers.
The contraceptive pill, called Plan B One-Step, has been available without a prescription to women 17 and older, but those 16 and younger have needed a prescription — and they still will because of the decision by the health secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. If taken soon after unprotected sex, the pill halves the chances of a pregnancy.
"What good is having a supposedly liberal, supposedly pro-choice president if we get political decisions like this, pandering to social conservatives and endangering reproductive rights?" said Richard Grayson, Pinal County Greens co-chair. "The Obama administration has shown again and again that it cares more about its own survival than the health and welfare of American women and that political expediency will trump principle every time."
Grayson noted that the Green Party unequivocally supports women's reproductive rights, including access to emergency contraception.
The Pinal County Greens are members of the Arizona Green Party in Pinal County.
