Yesterday, the FDA approved the birth control drug “Opill” for over-the-counter (OTC) sales. This means anyone—including young girls—can purchase dangerous birth control drugs without a prescription DESPITE the FDA’s own reservations!
Opill may even start showing up in drug vending machines on college campuses—exposing young women to serious health risks without any medical oversight at all.
The FDA based its approval on the recommendations of a hand-selected panel of “experts,” all of which are self-described “reproductive justice” activists, including a notorious late-term abortionist. You can read more about these “experts” here.
Actual FDA reviewers cited numerous concerns about the drug’s safety and warned about ambiguous, misleading packaging that makes it difficult for users—especially young girls—to know when the drug could cause dangerous, even deadly, complications.
At the behest of pro-abortion radicals, the FDA is exposing women and children to increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, cervical cancer, liver cancer, and HIV.
In 2016, Life Legal presented the Supreme Court with peer-reviewed studies showing that hormonal birth control is associated with numerous health risks, including a 4.2-fold increase in incidences of the most aggressive form of breast cancer among women under age 45 and a staggering 6.4-fold increase in the same type of breast cancer in women under 18.
But that’s not clear from Opill’s packaging. There is no mention of the increased risk of breast cancer, nor does it include details about possible interactions with other medications.
The FDA found that over 20% of women 18 or older did not understand from the product packaging that they were not to use Opill if they have a history of breast cancer. Over 40% of girls ages 11-14 did not understand that Opill is not an emergency contraceptive and would not prevent pregnancy when used as such. Over 33% of girls did not understand that Opill is not effective unless it is taken at the same exact time every day.
The FDA knows this drug is dangerous – and approved it for OTC use anyway. This is another example of abortion ideologues’ disdain for science and common sense. The “experts” that were hand-selected to review Opill oppose all restrictions on accessing the drugs, including age limits, parental involvement, and medical oversight.
Life Legal strongly opposes the approval of hormonal birth control drugs for over-the-counter purchase, especially for young girls.
If you know of anyone who has been injured by Opill, please email Life Legal or call us at 707.224.6675.