Scientists at the FDA expressed doubt about whether the company had sufficiently demonstrated that women could use the pill safely and effectively without supervision from a healthcare professional.
However, the advisory panel determined that there was enough evidence to suggest that women are informed about safe and effective use of oral contraceptives. The panel members also questioned the extent of advice typically provided by medical professionals who prescribe these contraceptive pills.
“I think this represents a landmark in our history of women’s health. Unwanted pregnancies can really derail a woman’s life, and especially an adolescent’s life,” said Dr. Margery Gass of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, another committee member.
This move to provide over-the-counter birth control would mark history as a huge step in bodily autonomy and ensuring women maintain rights to their own bodies.
