Statement of Andrea Costello, attorney for the Plaintiffs in Tummino v Hamburg, Senior Staff Attorney, Partnership for Civil Justice Fund:
“The Obama Administration is speaking out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to the basic rights of women and girls as evidenced by the political decision issued by the FDA late today. After years of using women’s health as a political football, and acting against the scientific evidence, the FDA is now under pending Court Order to make the Morning After Pill available without age restriction or identification hurdles. In the face of that Order the FDA has issued an announcement that it is willfully placing these restrictions on emergency contraception. Just last week, President Obama stated, ‘When it comes to a woman’s health, no politician should get to decide what’s best for you.’ Yet he is doing exactly that. If the FDA does not comply with this Court’s Order, we will move for contempt.”