MedPol: FDA delays decision about morning-after pill

Contraceptive advocates had expected a final decision by a September 1 deadline that Crawford had pledged to members of Congress as a condition of assuming leadership of FDA.

"I am disappointed that FDA waited until this late hour to address a legal question that could and should have been resolved months ago," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts. "I urge FDA to act quickly to approve this needed reproductive option for women."

"It seems improbable to me that ... politics hasn't trumped science here, which is a tragedy," said Dr. Alastair Wood of Vanderbilt University, a member of the FDA advisory committee that evaluated Plan B.

"They are acting in bad faith," said Kirsten Moore of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, noting that FDA already has logged 17,400 letters from the public and advocacy groups urging it to take one side or the other on Plan B. "How many more comments do they need?"

Crawford broke a personal pledge to Congress to decide Plan B's fate by September 1, charged two senators who called for congressional hearings into the delay.

"It is a breach of faith," Sens. Patty Murray, D-Washington, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, who lifted objections to Crawford assuming leadership of FDA only after his pledge, wrote in a statement. "There is no credible scientific reason to continue to deny increased access to this safe health care option."

What's that sound?

Oh yeah, that's me beating my head against the wall until I knock myself out.