(CNSNews.com) - The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make emergency contraception - the so-called morning-after pill - available without a prescription.

An FDA panel plans to hold a hearing on the request on Dec. 16, after which it will forward its recommendation to the FDA.

According to a Planned Parenthood statement, emergency contraception meets "all customary criteria for over-the-counter availability, including low toxicity, no potential for overdose or addiction, self-indication of need, uniform dosage and no important drug interactions."

Planned Parenthood noted that many medical and health care organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, would like to see the pills sold over the counter.

'Safe and effective'

Vanessa Cullins, M.D., vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood, is scheduled to testify before the advisory committee on Dec. 16, and Planned Parenthood said she will discuss the "necessity of expanding access to emergency contraception."

"Emergency contraception is safe and effective and is the best way to prevent unintended pregnancy in cases of contraceptive failure," said Dr. Cullins said in a statement released by Planned Parenthood. She contends there is no scientific basis for denying over-the-counter availability of emergency contraception.

As for the moral basis, Cullins commented, "We hope that ideological claims by anti-choice hardliners do not influence what should be an objective scientific process."

Emergency contraception, as described by Planned Parenthood, is a "special combination"of birth control pills that reduce the risk of pregnancy if taken within 120 hours of unprotected intercourse. The sooner the pills are taken, the better they work, Planned Parenthood noted.

Planned Parenthood points to research indicating that widespread availability of EC could prevent 1.7 million unintended pregnancies and 800,000 abortions each year in the United States. "Studies also prove women use EC responsibly," the group said.
Abortifacient potential

But for pro-life groups, the heart of the emergency contraception controversy boils down to the question of when life begins.

"Many concerned medical professionals argue that this controversial product does not necessarily prevent pregnancy," said Concerned Women for America on its website. "They believe that, at least in some cases, [emergency contraception] kills a developing embryo. And that would make it an abortifacient, a way to kill an unborn child."

In some cases, the hormone pills prevent implantation of a fertilized egg in the womb. In other cases, the pills may prevent ovulation.

"Embryologists have long believed that a pregnancy begins at fertilization, rather than implantation in the uterus," CWA noted. "After fertilization, the tiny human being has all his or her genetic information."

CWA and other pro-life groups reject the notion that the "product of fertilization" is not a real human being.
Marketing concerns

Concerned Women for America said it is also concerned about the strategy that will be used to market emergency contraception to young, sexually active women.

In the United States, CWA noted on its website, teenagers are able to get a prescription for the morning-after pill without their parents' knowledge at Planned Parenthood and other clinics.

CWA questions whether it is morally justifiable to market the morning-after pill to minors, and it envisions such marketing as a way for Planned Parenthood to drum up more business for itself.

"Abortion promoters realize that if they can attract a young woman, they may have a client for life," CWA said.

CWA quoted one pro-abortion group as saying, "The need for emergency contraception can bring women, and young women in particular, into the family planning centers, where they can receive other health care services and counseling."

CWA also notes that the morning-after pill does nothing to protect women from sexually transmitted diseases.