Thirteen Democrats and one independent in the U.S. Senate are questioning last week's announcement by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius that she would not allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, to girls under 17.
Sebelius's decision went against the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration, whose chief, Margaret Hamburg, said scientific evidence supported making Plan B available without a prescription. "We feel strongly that FDA regulations should be based on science," wrote Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and others in a letter sent yesterday to Sebelius. They ask the secretary to "share with us your specific rationale and the scientific data you relied on for the decision to overrule the FDA recommendation."
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