President Obama said on Thursday in Mexico that he’s “comfortable” with the decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowing girls as young as 15 to buy the “morning-after” pill. Obama said:
The rule that’s been put forward by the FDA, [Health] Secretary [Kathleen] Sebelius has reviewed, she’s comfortable with it — I’m comfortable with it. I think it’s very important that women have control over their healthcare choices and when they are starting a family.
Obama also implied that although he condoned the Justice Department’s appeal of a federal court ruling that goes even farther, making the “morning-after” pill available to girls of all ages, it was a purely legal decision, and he wouldn’t stand in the way if the FDA decided to eventually allow all ages to have access:
My suspicion is that the FDA may now be called upon to make further decisions about whether there’s sufficient scientific evidence for girls younger than 15. That’s the FDA’s decision to make. That’s Secretary Sebelius’s decision to review. Part of it has to do with the precedent and the way the judge handled that case.
The “morning-after” pill is opposed by some because there are studies indicating it could stop fertilized eggs implanting in the womb, which is compared to abortion.
In 2011, Obama publicly supported Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius when she suggested limiting the “morning-after” pill to girls who were at least 17. Obama said that he worried about children buying the pill “alongside bubble gum or batteries.” But now that Sibelius and the FDA have gone farther, suddenly Obama is okay with it. And it appears he will be fine with going even farther, as long as it can appear as if it’s someone else’s idea.