In 2006, after a two and a half year debate, the Food and Drug Administration finally allowed emergency contraception to be sold over the counter for females 18 and older.
To Mary O’Shea, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland, it was a landmark decision, “almost like when the birth control pill became legal.” Previously, emergency contraception had only been available with a doctor’s prescription – and many pharmacies refused to carry it for moral reasons, despite numerous studies showing it to be as safe as the pill….