by Susan F. Wood, PhD

 The last week of August is full of anniversaries for me, both public and personal.  On August 24, it has been one year since the partial approval of Plan B emergency contraception over-the-counter (OTC) for those over 18 years old.  Two days later on August 26 is the 87th anniversary of the day that women got the right to vote, Women’s Equality Day.  It also is the 2nd anniversary of the day that FDA leadership once again denied the approval of Plan B OTC despite all of the evidence and support within FDA for its approval.  August 31st, just 5 days later, marks the two-year anniversary of my resignation from FDA as Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health in response to the Aug. 26th decision.

Looking back on the last two years and considering what has happened over the last year in particular – after emergency contraception got partial approval for sale without a prescription – I can draw a few lessons from my experience.

First, individual people working together can make a difference.  All those people around the country who were outraged over the continued delay of allowing women access to a safe and effective contraceptive method managed to get their voices heard.  The realization that those opposed to contraception somehow managed to thwart the scientists and physicians at FDA from doing their jobs was a surprise and a bit of a shock to folks from all walks of life.  I think that this realization and the response of the public led to the ultimate approval (limited though it is) of emergency contraception OTC.  We should remember this as we face continuing challenges in this arena and in others.

The second lesson I draw is not a surprising one to me.  The sky didn’t fall, and women have begun to get access to one more option to help them prevent unwanted pregnancies.  Timely access to emergency contraception should not have been and should not be a controversial subject.  Those who have heard me on this subject know that this is a mantra for me. Even though people may keep their own contraceptive choices private, contraception is not a controversial subject. It doesn’t shock the vast majority of people in the United States to think that most couples have used and continue to use contraception.  The details for any particular couple may be more information than most people want to know (that’s why it’s private), but contraception itself is widely supported and assumed.  One more method available to women – and one that can provide a second chance – is a common good.  It neither promotes promiscuity nor serves as a magic bullet in preventing all unintended or unwanted pregnancies, but it provides a woman with another form of prevention, should she need it. 

Looking forward we have to continue to work to ensure that the health of the public remains our priority.  There are still those who want to deny women access to contraception (emergency contraception or otherwise).  Some of them are in the pharmacies, some of them are in hospital emergency rooms, some of them are in the government, but they are a small minority of the public and they shouldn’t be able to force their opinions either on women seeking contraception or on government agencies (like FDA) making health policy decisions.  I think we can get there.

Susan F. Wood, PhD is Research Professor at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, where she is part of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP).