The FDA changes Plan B packaging, proving that it is not an abortion medication

January 02, 2023: -The Food and Drug Administration changes the informational details of the emergency contraceptive drug Plan B One-Step, which clarifies that it is not an abortion medication, the federal agency announced on Friday.

Plan B is an over-the-counter pill that can be considered a backup method of birth control to decrease the chance of pregnancy following unprotected sex. If taken within 72 hours following unprotected sex or contraceptive to fail, Plan B works by stopping or cancelling the release of an egg from the ovary, not by affecting an abortion, the agency added.

“Plan B One-Step is not working if a person is pregnant, meaning it will not affect an existing gestation,” the FDA said in a release. “Evidence does not support that the pill affects implantation or maintenance of pregnancy following implantation. Therefore it does not terminate a pregnancy.”

Until now, which packs for Plan B and generic versions of the drug have erroneously that stating taking the pill might prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. Medical professionals said this claim is not backed by scientific proof but was included on the label to get Plan B’s over-the-counter status accepted.

As such, the FDA is revising the informational leaflets in Plan B’s which packs to reflect that it does not work following fertilization, the agency said.

The U.S. Supreme Court is affecting the constitutional right to abort in June, raising concerns about the continued permit to birth control and emergency contraception. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated that the landmark increased court rulings that established gay rights and contraception rights should be reconsidered from the federal right to abortion had been revoked.

At least eight states have banned all forms of abortion, which include medical abortions using a drug, within hours of the high court’s decision.

The FDA added that since Plan B prevents pregnancy from acting on ovulation “well before implantation,” it does because of the abortions.

The agency recommends that consumers discussion with their doctors about emergency contraceptives to understand “the importance of using these products as intended.”