Pro-life official criticizes court ruling on Plan B for 17-year-olds

A U.S. District Court judge’s decision giving 17-year-olds over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill known as Plan B “will put minors’ health at greater risk,” according to a pro-life official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for policy and communications in the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, told Catholic News Service March 25 that U.S. District Judge Edward Korman’s decision the day before was “worrisome in any number of ways.” Judge Korman, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, said the Food and Drug Administration had “repeatedly and unreasonably” delayed a decision on whether Plan B should be available over the counter and had been swayed by politics in ultimately deciding to make the drug available without a prescription only to those 18 or over.