When UF alumna Stephanie Seguin was a student, she had to resort to the “crossing-your-fingers-and-hope-you’re-not-pregnant method” of contraception when the pharmacy was closed.
After a decade of fighting for women and girls’ rights to control their bodies, Seguin and the National Women’s Liberation have found success as the federal court Friday ordered the Federal Drug Administration to make the morning-after pill an over-the-counter drug with no restrictions within the next month.
Before the court’s ruling, the morning-after pill, also known as Plan B, was kept behind a counter and only available without a prescription for women ages 17 and older after showing government-issued identification. The lawsuit, Tummino v. Hamburg, was filed in 2005 against the FDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reverse these restrictions, arguing the emergency contraception is scientifically proven to be a safe and effective form of birth control.
Gainesville women have been at the forefront of the campaign, with the Gainesville chapter of the Women’s Liberation sending members to testify in front of the FDA.
National Women’s Liberation founder Candi Churchill said she, Seguin and other plaintiffs pointed out the morning-after pill is available over the counter in 63 other countries and shared their experiences with it.
“I really resent having spent 10 years of my life organizing to get my government to make something accessible that is perfectly safe,” Churchill said.
The 1998 UF alumna has been protesting for the accessibility of the pill since she was a student, finding it insulting that she was patronized at the infirmary when she went to ask for it.
After finding the pill to be a safe relief, Churchill and other members of the Gainesville chapter took action. In addition to filing a lawsuit and testifying, past efforts have included Give Your Friends the Morning After Pill, in which they illegally gave the pill to women in need when it was prescription-only.
“I think we made a big impact,” Churchill said. “We’re a small town, and we’re ordinary women, but we’ve studied the issue and looked at our own experiences.”
Andrea Costello, the attorney representing the National Women’s Liberation, said it’s a landmark victory for females in the United States.
“This case really shows that when you combine really powerful grassroots organizing and women demanding our rights with really good legal arguments, you get a recipe for justice,” she said.
