Emergency Contraception Only for the Rich

This is the perfect example of how deeply ingrained in our society have become the repug/freakazoid fuck-poor-people-at-every-turn philosophy.

Why not make the cheap version available to younger and poorer women, and make rich women shell out for the expensive version?

Because that would hurt rich people and Big Pharma while helping poor people, and that's just not allowed any more.


Think Progress:

The FDA finally relented in June, when it officially brought Plan B out from behind the counter. But the agency still had to decide what to do about generic versions of the pill — and it ultimately chose to keep the one-pill generics out of young Americans’ reach for the next three years. The government is permitted to give exclusive marketing rights “to drug firms that fund and conduct clinical trials that are deemed essential to the drug’s approval,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

The decision won’t just affect younger women who are less likely to have disposable income to spend on expensive brand name drugs. Undocumented women who are over age 17 but lack a government-issued ID won’t be able to get the cheaper generic pills, either. Teva has promised not to hike Plan B’s costs despite its market exclusivity.

Everybody who thinks Teva won't hike prices, stand on your head.