Sales Rocket for Morning-After Pill

Early indicators are it's more effective than condoms, but lags behind patch, pill

(NEWSER) - The morning-after pill might need a new name after a study that finds it's fairly reliable as regular old, non-emergency birth control, reports Time. In a review of previous studies of 8,400 women, only about 5% who took the morning-after pill around the time they had sex over the course of a year stood to get pregnant; that compares with a 16% chance with condoms. More»

(NEWSER) - In this tough economy, requests for long-term contraceptives and abortions have spiked at family planning clinics, reports the Los Angeles Times. Planned Parenthood of LA County has seen its caseload jump 15% in just a year, and requests for IUDs nearly doubled in the first quarter compared to a year ago. A recent Gallup poll showed a correlation between finances and family planning. More»

(AP) - The Food and Drug Administration will allow 17-year-olds to get the "morning-after" birth control pill without a doctor's prescription. The agency said today it would not appeal a federal judge's recent order overturning restrictions imposed during the Bush administration. The judge had ruled that Bush appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access only for women 18 and older. More»

New regulation lets health care workers refuse 'immoral' work

(NEWSER) - Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers would have the right to refuse to provide abortion services, contraception or even information on preventing or ending pregnancies under a controversial new regulation issued by the Bush administration. The proposed rule would force hospitals, clinics and other health care providers to accommodate employees' moral objections or lose federal funding, reports the Washington Post. More»

Bush's top family planning official resigns after legal action against him

(NEWSER) - Bush's top family planning official resigned unexpectedly yesterday, on the heels of a legal action against him in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe reports. The lawsuit initiated by Medicaid targets Dr. Eric Keroack's private practice in Marblehead. Abortion rights groups protested his appointment five months ago, claiming he opposed birth control and comprehensive sex education. More»