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Days after President Obama became the first sitting president to speak before Planned Parenthood's national conference, the administration alienated some women's health groups with a controversial decision about access to emergency contraception.
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Under the proposal, teenagers below 15 would now need a prescription to purchase the morning-after pill. That age was previously 17. The plan would also allow the product to be sold on retail shelves, rather than behind the pharmacy counters, with age to be verified by cashiers rather than pharmacy staff.
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But reproductive health advocates says there's a big problem with leaving contraception training out: Many residency programs these days are run by religious hospitals that don't believe in contraception.
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It's unclear if the Obama administration will appeal the ruling that allows the morning-after pill to be sold to women of all ages, without restriction. It's a fight that's been going on for a dozen years, and the ruling may not end it.
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The ruling could end a more than decade-long battle that has spanned two administrations. The decision overturns a controversial 2011 action by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius overruling the Food and Drug Administration's decision to allow sale of morning-after pill without a prescription or regard for a person's age.
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Condoms have evolved little since latex ones were first manufactured in the 1920s. Bill Gates is hoping to change that. His foundation is giving $100,000 to anyone who can come up with a condom that men or women actually want to wear.
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Emergency contraceptives like Plan B and ella are effective at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex. Claims that the pills are tantamount to abortion, however, aren't supported by science, say researchers. The only way the drugs work is by stopping a woman's body from ovulating.
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A study finds those who used emergency contraception were about evenly divided between in their reasons. About half said it was because another contraceptive method had failed and half cited unprotected sex.
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The administration's proposal calls for insurance companies to provide contraceptive and sterilization coverage, rather than hospitals, universities and charities affiliated with religious groups. The approach failed to satisfy leaders of the Catholic Church.
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Under the proposed rule, employees at nonprofit religious organizations would get access to no-cost contraception, but their employer wouldn't pay for the coverage. The move is another attempt to provide contraceptive coverage without violating the beliefs of religious nonprofits.