Aug 9, 2006 7:47 pm US/Eastern
Ill. Gov. Supports Emergency Contraception
CHICAGO (AP) ―
Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would find a way to make emergency contraception available in Illinois without a prescription if the federal government keeps its strict guidelines for the morning-after pill.
Blagojevich urged approval of over-the-counter sales in a letter Wednesday to the Food and Drug Administration, which has said it would consider nonprescription sales of the Plan B pill only for women 18 and older.
If the FDA fails to act, Blagojevich pledged to introduce legislation in the fall that would allow Illinois pharmacies to dispense it. Nine states already allow pharmacists to sell the pills over-the-counter under certain conditions.
Blagojevich said he might issue an executive order that would circumvent legislative approval if lawmakers dump his proposal.
"The evidence is clear and overwhelming that making Plan B available over-the-counter is the right thing to do," he said in the two-page letter to the FDA.
Blagojevich already has used his executive power to require pharmacists to fill emergency contraception prescriptions if they dispense birth control. He's also spent millions of dollars on stem cell research despite repeated objections from state legislators.
Lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules have the authority to strike down executive orders and rule changes entered by Blagojevich.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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