CHICAGO, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has vowed to work to make Plan B emergency contraception available over-the-counter in his state.
In a letter sent this week to the Food and Drug Administration, he urged the agency -- which has taken years to reach a determination on Barr Laboraties' request to sell its drug OTC -- to approve sales without a prescription, the Chicago Tribune reported.
If not, Blagojevich said, he will find a way, through legislation introduced in the fall or by executive order, to get around FDA.
The Democratic governor's statement angered Republicans in the state legislature, who say this is just the latest in a series of actions disregarding its authority.
Such a policy would make Illinois the ninth state to allow women to purchase emergency contraception OTC.
The governor's actions, however, may not be necessary in light of a recent announcement that the FDA and Barr Laboratories have reached an accord to facilitate within a few weeks the marketing of Plan B without a prescription for women over the age of 18.
