WASHINGTON: The US government has lowered to 15 the age at which girls can buy the morning-after contraceptive pill without a prescription. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday announced to approve a contraceptive known as Plan B or popular as “morning after pill” for all women 15 and older.The announcement is expected to stir the controversy among conservatives who consider it another form of abortion. In a statement, the FDA said the approval of Plan B One-Step for use without a prescription by women 15 years of age and older is based on an actual use study and label comprehension data submitted by Teva showing that women age 15 and older understood that the product was not for routine use and would not protect them against sexually-transmitted diseases.

These data also established that Plan B One-Step could be used properly within this age group without the intervention of a health care provider. “Research has shown that access to emergency contraceptive products has the potential to further decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies in the US,” said FDA commissioner Margaret A Hamburg. “The data reviewed by the agency demonstrated that women 15 years of age and older were able to understand how Plan B One-Step works, how to use it properly, and that it does not prevent the transmission of a sexually transmitted disease,” Hamburg said.

FDA said because the product will not protect a woman from HIV or AIDS or other sexually-transmitted diseases, it is important that young women who are sexually active remember to see a health care provider for routine checkups.