By the end of the year, U.S. women will be able to walk into any pharmacy and buy emergency contraceptive pills without a prescription as a result of a Food and Drug Administration decision Thursday.

The decision means women will not have to go to a doctor as long as they prove they are 18 or older to a pharmacist, who will keep the drugs behind a counter. Younger teens still will need a prescription, and the pills will not be sold at gas stations, convenience stores or other outlets that do not have pharmacists.

The approval marks the first time a hormonal contraceptive will be available in the United States without a prescription. The pills, which will be sold as ``Plan B,'' will probably cost about $25 to $40 per dose, and men also will be able to buy them.

The drugs already have been available in California and eight other states that allow women to buy Plan B without a prescription, regardless of age. But access is limited because it is available only in selected pharmacies whose pharmacists have been specially trained about the drug and who are able to counsel women about its use.

Long, bitter debate

The announcement was aimed at resolving one of the highest-profile health controversies of the Bush administration, but opponents said they were considering trying to block the decision, either in court or in Congress.

``This decision has nothing to do with science or FDA rules but has everything to do with politics,'' said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

Coburn and other social conservatives said the high doses of hormones in the pills carry risks, and making them easily available will encourage sexual activity and result in more unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. They also liken taking the pills to abortion, because they can sometimes prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.

``This is a bad decision for women, for girls, for parents and for public health,'' said Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America. ``The FDA's decision today will only make things worse for American women.''

Milestone for women?

Women's health and family-planning advocates, while criticizing the FDA for the age limits, hailed the decision as a long-overdue milestone that will make it easier for women to prevent unwanted pregnancy when they have unprotected sex or when other contraception fails. It will be particularly valuable to rape victims, they said.

``This is great news for women and great news for women's health,'' said Cecile Richards of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ``This provides women with another important option.''

The FDA's move reverses a decision it made three years ago rejecting over-the-counter sales of the drug. That decision, which rejected the advice of the agency's outside advisers and internal reviewers, triggered intense criticism that the administration was letting political ideology influence scientific decisions, undermining the credibility and independence of an agency charged with protecting the nation's health.

Plan B, which consists of two pills containing a synthetic version of the hormone progestin used in birth-control pills, is highly effective at preventing a pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse.

FDA officials said they had concluded after further review that there was too little safety data to approve the drug for teenagers under 18. But the agency ruled that the drugs could be sold safely to those age 18 and older because similar restrictions already are placed on other products, such as tobacco, nicotine and cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine.

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