California law boosts confiscation of illegal guns: Model for other states?

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed legislation Wednesday that will increase funding for a state program that confiscates firearms from people prohibited from owning them because they have violent criminal pasts or mental illnesses.

Senate Bill 140 authorizes $24 million for the state to hire additional agents for its Armed & Prohibited Persons System (APPS), which has lacked sufficient resources to clear a growing backlog of illegally possessed firearms in the state, said state Sen. Mark Leno (D) of San Francisco, who coauthored the bill.

?We know for the safety of our communities that these people should not possess guns, and our reinvestment in this tracking program gives us the opportunity to confiscate them,? Senator Leno said in a statement.

RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.

According to state Department of Justice estimates, 20,000 Californians who collectively own 39,000 handguns and 1,670 assault weapons are in fact prohibited from owning firearms because they have been convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic-violence restraining order, or determined to be mentally unstable. Up to 20 people are added to the list each day.

California is the only state with an APPS program, which cross-references five databases to identify people who have legally purchased guns since 1996 but are now prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. The legislation will allow the state attorney general to hire 36 agents and support staff for APPS.

"This bill cuts right to the heart of the problem, getting guns away from people who aren't supposed to have them," state Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D) of Stockton told The Sacramento Bee last month.

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This program is crucial to public safety and could be a model for other states looking to enforce similar laws, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said.

?California is leading the nation in a common-sense effort to protect public safety by taking guns away from dangerous, violent individuals who are prohibited by law from owning them,? Ms. Harris said in a statement Wednesday.

Harris sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden in January, urging him to consider APPS as a national model, and she supported legislation introduced by US Rep. Mike Thompson (D) of California that would create the federal Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013 ? a competitive grant program for states to develop their own APPS programs.

?No matter which side of this debate you are on, no one wants criminals or people with a history of dangerous mental illness to have guns,? said Representative Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, in a statement when he introduced the bill in February. ?[The bill] simply gives states an incentive to develop successful programs that will keep guns out of the hands of people we all agree shouldn?t have them.?

Thompson pointed to other states developing similar systems: The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act included provisions to remove firearms from persons prohibited from having them, and Iowa already has a system to ensure that people with domestic-violence restraining orders give up their guns.

The National Rifle Association and gun-rights groups agree on the idea behind the law, but they did not support the California bill because of the cost burden it put on gun owners. The $24 million will come from extra fees that will be added to gun purchases.

"Going after criminals is a good thing, but the way they are paying for it is grossly unfair," Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, told the Los Angeles Times. "They are putting the entire burden on the back of law-abiding gun purchasers."

Mr. Paredes said the state should instead create an education campaign to inform citizens who may not know they are disqualified from owning a firearm. It would be cheaper than doubling the number of agents in the APPS program, he said.

Some state Republican lawmakers also opposed the bill because of the funding issue, but the bill passed with more than the needed two-thirds votes. The Assembly passed it with more than the needed two-thirds vote Wednesday, and the state Senate passed it unanimously last month.

"This bipartisan bill makes our communities safer by giving law enforcement the resources they need to get guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous individuals," Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Governor Brown, told the Los Angeles Times.

This is the first of several gun-control bills introduced in California in response to the recent shootings in Connecticut and Colorado.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/california-law-boosts-confiscation-illegal-guns-model-other-224051838.html

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Syrian opposition blames regime for village deaths

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's main opposition group on Friday accused President Bashar Assad's regime of committing a "large-scale massacre" in a Sunni village near the Mediterranean coast, killing at least 50 people, according to activists.

Syrian troops backed by pro-government gunmen on Thursday swept into Bayda, a village in the mountains outside the city of Banias, and killed men, women and children and torched homes, according to The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory documented the names of at least 50 dead, but said as many as 100 might have been killed. The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, cited witnesses as saying that some of the victims were killed with knives or blunt objects and that dozens of villagers were missing.

In a statement, the opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Coalition, said: "Reports now confirm a large-scale massacre in Bayda. Initial reports confirm that Assad's forces were directly involved" in the violence in the area.

"It is time for the world to intervene and put an end to the grievous crimes of the Assad regime," the Cairo-based opposition group said, urging the international community to act and protect Syrian civilians.

In a video that the Observatory sent to the media on Friday, at least seven men and boys wearing civilian clothes are seen lying in pools of blood in front of a house. The caption on the video says "the first images of executions in Bayda."

A woman touching the body of one of the men can be heard saying, "Don't fall asleep. Don't move."

Referring to a Muslim pronouncement of faith before death, she tells him to say "There is no god, but Allah."

As the camera pans bloodied bodies on the ground, another woman is heard screaming, "Where are you, people of the village?"

The video appears genuine and consistent with reporting by The Associated Press from the area.

The Syrian troops were still in Bayda village on Friday, conducting house to house searches, said Rami Abdul Rahman, the Observatory's director. He added that phone and Internet service to the village was cut and the area remained under regime control, making it impossible to verify the final death toll and more details on events.

The Syrian conflict, now in its third year, started as peaceful protests against Assad's rule in March 2011. It turned into armed conflict between the opposition and the government after some opposition supporters took up weapons to fight a harsh regime crackdown on dissent and soon became a full-scale civil war.

More than 70,000 people have been killed so far in the conflict, according to the United Nations. More than 1 million Syrians have fled their homes and sought shelter in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, while millions more have been internally displaced by the fighting.

The war also has split the country along religious lines, and the violence in Bayda appeared to have sectarian overtones. The village is primarily inhabited by Sunni Muslims, who dominate the country's rebel movement, while most of the surrounding villages are home to members of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The Observatory's informants from the area reported heavy fighting in Bayda early on Thursday that left at least six government troops dead and more than 20 wounded, according to Abdul-Rahman. He said regime troops backed by gunmen from nearby Alawite villages returned that afternoon and eventually overran Bayda.

Syrian state media did not report on the events in the village in its daily roundup of army activities around the country. The country's official news agency SANA said Friday the army has continued "crackdown on terrorists groups" without mentioning any operations in Bayda or the nearby Banias. Syrian state media refers to rebels fighting to topple Assad's regime as terrorists.

A report in the English-language newspaper, The Syria Times, briefly mentioned Bayda on Friday, saying government troops seized weapons there. The newspaper is published daily by the Syrian Information Ministry in Damascus.

If confirmed, the violence in Bayda would be the latest in a string of alleged mass killings in Syria's civil war. Last month, activists said government troops killed more than 100 people as they seized two rebel-held suburbs of Damascus.

The relentless fighting has left the international community at a loss to find ways to end the bloodshed as neither side appears willing to find a political solution at the moment.

While the U.S. and its European and Gulf allies have backed the opposition forces, they have been reluctant to provide the rebels fighting Assad's troops with weapons that could stand up to the regime's superior firepower. They fear the arms could end up in the hands of radical Islamic groups that in the past year have become the most effective fighting force on the opposition's side.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama said his administration was looking at every option to end the bloodshed in Syria. Speaking at a news conference in Mexico City, Obama said the administration was proceeding cautiously as it looked at options to ensure that what it does is helpful to the situation rather than making it more deadly or complex.

In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, became the first top American official to publicly acknowledge that the administration was rethinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels. During a Pentagon news conference on Thursday, Hagel said that "arming the rebels ? that's an option," but added that the administration was looking at all options. "It doesn't mean that the president has decided on anything," Hagel said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-05-03-Syria/id-197904a74d7945dc9ffa69c2ed4d7fd3

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Giant rubber duck makes splash in Hong Kong harbor

HONG KONG (AP) ? A six-story-high rubber duck is making a big splash in Hong Kong.

Crowds watched the inflatable duck being pulled by tugboat across Victoria Harbor in front of Hong Kong's signature skyscraper skyline.

Tourist Zhang Wenjin from Shanghai says it's a big surprise. "This is huge. My daughter liked it when she saw it just now. Because kids like cute stuff."

Yu Kwan Yee of Hong Kong was part of the crowd. "The duckie is swimming," the 2 ?-year-old said.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created the bright-yellow duck, and it was built of PVC material in New Zealand by a company specializing in large sails.

Hofman was on hand as the duck arrived and said it later had to be deflated because high winds and waves created a "big challenge."

The duck has been transported around the world since 2007, bringing a message of peace and harmony. It has previously been to Osaka, Japan, Sydney, Sao Paulo, Auckland, New Zealand, and Amsterdam.

It will be anchored at a Hong Kong terminal for display until June.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/giant-rubber-duck-makes-splash-hong-kong-harbor-071337129.html

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Smart New Charger for Smart Phones

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I get hundreds of pitches for new gadgets. Only a few really surprise me. Following are the newest and most interesting smartphone accessories I?ve come across recently. I?m not advocating you run out to buy them, but these are smart iterations and signs of what?s to come.?

The ChargeCard $25

If you own a smartphone, you have had power anxiety: Will you make it through the day? Did you remember to bring a charging cable? The ChargeCard from BiteMyApple can help; it is an Android and iPhone (4&5) charger that fits in your wallet. It is a tiny bit thicker than a regular credit card but it handily fits in even the thinnest billfolds.?One end plugs into your phone?s power port and the other goes into a USB outlet. May new cars have USB ports for power and so do computers, but if you want to plug into a socket, you?ll need a USB AC adapter.

Moxie Shower Head + Wireless Bluetooth Speaker $149

Music in the shower: it?s nice. The Moxie Bluetooth Shower head speaker makes it very 2013. The shower head screws onto your spigot just as any shower head would. You charge the speaker, pair it with your phone,fire up a playlist, and then place it into the shower head. It is fully waterproof, and when you turn on the water, the sound quality is surprisingly good. The volume is adequately loud and the acoustics of the shower make it even better. While creating a musical experience for your relatively short shower may seem over-the-top, I actually used it more to stream podcasts while I put on makeup and got dressed ? kinda like a radio in the bathroom, but much more personalized content and better quality when you are actually in the shower.

[Related: How Waterproof Are Your Gadgets?]

Tethercell $35

What if you could control all of the AA battery-operated devices in your home from your smartphone? That?s the premise of the Tethercell. It?s a AA battery housing that fits over a AAA battery. Put this in place of one of the AA batteries in any AA battery-powered device, and then connect that device to an app on your phone.?The use-case I imagine is inspired by my kids. Remote controlled toys keep appearing in our home. I don?t buy them (I hate them), but the kids love them, so (thanks, grandparents) they seem to miraculously materialize. The kids often (always) leave the power on, and while that offends my environmental tendencies, the real problem is that I have occasionally (often) been woken in the night to the sound of Elmo on a laughing rant or a transformer shrieking with all it?s mech-rage. ?With the Tethercell, I could turn them all off with the swipe of my finger. You can also create a rule where they automatically turn off each night at 7 pm. You only need one Tethercell case per device no matter how many batteries it takes.

Viiiiva Smartphone Heart Rate Monitor $79

I?ve used a Timex heart rate monitor strap and watch for years. It tracks my workouts to tell me how hard I?m pushing and how many calories I?m burning.? But the watch is not a great tool for tracking my metrics and analyzing them over a long period of time.? Garmin and others make heart rate monitors that tie into armbands that connect to your computer and upload data. But that mandates the extra step of actually connecting the device to your computer when you get home. So the heart rate monitor that ties directly into your smartphone is a winner for me. I always run with my phone (for safety,plus it has all my music), so having an app on there that tracks my distance heart rate and calories burned makes sense. The app for the Viiiiva is still a little klugy ? it pegged my 30-minute run as burning 2000 calories (I wish;?Hello, Ben & Jerry?s?), but it also ties into other fitness apps like Runkeeper, which may handle the calorie algorithm a little more conservatively(?Hello, Salad bar?).

[Related: How to Lose Weight Playing Video Games]

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Ethics Statement

This review is completely independent and editorial. It is based on personal opinion and is not a paid advertisement.

?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/smart-new-phone-charger-for-smart-phones-213733142.html

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ATS publishes clinical practice guidelines on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

Public release date: 1-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
American Thoracic Society

The American Thoracic Society has released new official clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), the acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise.

The guidelines appear in the May 1, 2013 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "While a large proportion of asthma patients experience exercise-induced respiratory symptoms, EIB also occurs frequently in subjects without asthma," said Jonathan Parsons, MD, associate professor of internal medicine and associate director of The Ohio State University Asthma Center and chair of the committee that drafted the statement. "To provide clinicians with practical guidance for the treatment of EIB, a multidisciplinary panel of stakeholders was convened to review the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of EIB to develop these evidence-based guidelines."

The exact prevalence of EIB among asthma patients is not known, but prevalence estimates among subjects without an asthma diagnosis are as high as 20%. Prevalence estimates among athletes are even higher, ranging between 30% and 70% for Olympic and elite-level athletes.

"Given the high prevalence of EIB, evidence-based guidelines for its management are of critical importance," said Dr. Parsons. "These new guidelines address not only the diagnosis and management of EIB but address other important issues related to EIB, including environmental triggers and special considerations in elite athletes."

Treatment recommendations in the guidelines include use of a short-acting beta-agonist before exercise in all EIB patients. For those patients who continue to have symptoms after beta-agonist treatment, the guidelines recommend use of a daily inhaled corticosteroid, a daily leukotriene receptor antagonist, or a mast cell stabilizing agent before exercise.

For all patients with EIB, the guidelines recommend that warm-up exercises be performed before planned exercise.

Known environmental triggers for EIB include cold air, dry air, ambient ozone, and airborne particulate matter. These and other environmental factors may contribute to the increased prevalence of EIB seen among competitive ice skaters, skiers, swimmers, and distance runners. Many of the treatments used to treat EIB, including beta-agonists, are banned or restricted in competitive athletics, as some are considered performance-enhancing, and treatment must be tailored according to the guidelines of the governing bodies of these sports.

"While EIB is common, there are effective treatments and preventive measures, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological," said Dr. Parsons. "The recommendations in these guidelines synthesize the latest clinical evidence and will help guide the management of EIB in patients with or without asthma and in athletes at all levels of competition."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 11.080, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields. Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 1-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
American Thoracic Society

The American Thoracic Society has released new official clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), the acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise.

The guidelines appear in the May 1, 2013 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "While a large proportion of asthma patients experience exercise-induced respiratory symptoms, EIB also occurs frequently in subjects without asthma," said Jonathan Parsons, MD, associate professor of internal medicine and associate director of The Ohio State University Asthma Center and chair of the committee that drafted the statement. "To provide clinicians with practical guidance for the treatment of EIB, a multidisciplinary panel of stakeholders was convened to review the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of EIB to develop these evidence-based guidelines."

The exact prevalence of EIB among asthma patients is not known, but prevalence estimates among subjects without an asthma diagnosis are as high as 20%. Prevalence estimates among athletes are even higher, ranging between 30% and 70% for Olympic and elite-level athletes.

"Given the high prevalence of EIB, evidence-based guidelines for its management are of critical importance," said Dr. Parsons. "These new guidelines address not only the diagnosis and management of EIB but address other important issues related to EIB, including environmental triggers and special considerations in elite athletes."

Treatment recommendations in the guidelines include use of a short-acting beta-agonist before exercise in all EIB patients. For those patients who continue to have symptoms after beta-agonist treatment, the guidelines recommend use of a daily inhaled corticosteroid, a daily leukotriene receptor antagonist, or a mast cell stabilizing agent before exercise.

For all patients with EIB, the guidelines recommend that warm-up exercises be performed before planned exercise.

Known environmental triggers for EIB include cold air, dry air, ambient ozone, and airborne particulate matter. These and other environmental factors may contribute to the increased prevalence of EIB seen among competitive ice skaters, skiers, swimmers, and distance runners. Many of the treatments used to treat EIB, including beta-agonists, are banned or restricted in competitive athletics, as some are considered performance-enhancing, and treatment must be tailored according to the guidelines of the governing bodies of these sports.

"While EIB is common, there are effective treatments and preventive measures, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological," said Dr. Parsons. "The recommendations in these guidelines synthesize the latest clinical evidence and will help guide the management of EIB in patients with or without asthma and in athletes at all levels of competition."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 11.080, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields. Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/ats-apc042913.php

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Cameroon's ruling party wins Senate election

DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) ? The party of Cameroon's entrenched ruler Paul Biya won 56 of the 70 contested seats in the nation's first-ever senatorial election, the Supreme Court announced.

Supreme Court President Alexis Dipanda Mouelle said Monday that Biya's Cameroon Peoples' Democratic Party scored 73 percent of the vote, winning seats in eight of the country's 10 administrative regions. The opposition Social Democratic Front received 17 percent, with 14 seats in just two regions. The opposition claimed vote-rigging but international observers said instances of vote-buying and intimidation were too few to change the overall outcome of the ballot.

According to the constitution, the 80-year-old Biya, in power since 1982, gets to appoint the remaining 30 members of the legislative body, ensuring total control of the newly-created 100-seat Senate.

Its creation was mandated by the 1996 constitution but was put off for 17 years, with the ruling party citing lack of funding and other reasons. The constitution stipulates that in the event of a vacancy at the helm of the state, the leader of the Senate will run the nation for a period of 40 days before new elections. The head of the Senate will be elected by majority vote during their first plenary session next month.

In recent years, Biya changed the constitution to allow himself to run for life. He most recently won re-election in a poll that was widely criticized in 2011, and has indicated that he plans to run again in 2018, when he'll be 86. It's raised fears of instability among the international investors who have flocked to Cameroon to get a piece of the country's petroleum riches. Neighboring nations where longtime rulers died in office have spiraled into violence, including in Guinea where the death of dictator Lansana Conte in 2008 was immediately followed by a military coup.

Critics say the new Senate simply perpetuates Biya's grip on power: His party already accounts for 153 of the 180 members in the National Assembly.

Observers from the African Union acknowledged that vote-buying had occurred, though they said that the instances did not impact the outcome of the April 14 poll.

"We think that on the whole, the elections unfolded hitch-free. Of course there were cases of vote-buying and intimidation, but these were too isolated to have an impact on the overall results," Edem Kodjo, head of an African Union observation mission, said soon after the poll.

Despite the limited representation by the opposition, the creation of the Senate was applauded as a step forward.

"We should be happy after 17 years of grumbling by the opposition, that the Senate is finally in place. It may be good or bad, but it is there and it is now left for us to work towards changing its make-up," said Jean De Dieu Momo, leader of the opposition Party for Democracy and Development of Cameroon.

Ni John Fru Ndi, leader of the Social Democratic Front and Biya's most significant rival, issued a statement saying: "Though the elections were choked with fraud ... setting up the Senate is a sign of progress for Cameroon's democracy."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cameroons-ruling-party-wins-senate-election-115150015.html

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FDA: Morning-after pill OK for ages 15 and up

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The government is moving the morning-after pill over the counter but only those 15 and older can buy it ? an attempt to find middle ground just days before a court-imposed deadline to lift all age restrictions on the emergency contraceptive.

Today, Plan B One-Step is sold behind pharmacy counters, and buyers must prove they're 17 or older to buy it without a prescription or else see a doctor first. Tuesday's decision by the Food and Drug Administration lowers the age limit to 15 ? and will allow the pill to sit on drugstore shelves next to condoms and spermicides or other women's health products. But customers must prove their age at the cash register.

Teva Women's Health, which makes Plan B, said it would begin over-the-counter sales in a few months.

The question is whether Tuesday's action settles a larger court fight. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York blasted the Obama administration for imposing the age-17 limit, saying it had let election-year politics trump science and was making it hard for women of any age to obtain the emergency contraception in time. He ordered an end to all age restrictions by Monday, for Plan B and its generic versions.

The FDA said Tuesday's decision was independent of the court case and wasn't intended to address it. Technically, the FDA approved Teva's application to sell Plan B in this manner.

The Justice Department remained mum on whether it planned to appeal Korman's decision, and the White House had no immediate comment.

The women's group that sued over the age limits said Tuesday's action is not enough, and it will continue the court fight if necessary.

Lowering the age limit "may reduce delays for some young women but it does nothing to address the significant barriers that far too many women of all ages will still find if they arrive at the drugstore without identification," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The FDA said the Plan B One-Step will be packaged with a product code that prompts the cashier to verify a customer's age. Anyone who can't provide such proof as a driver's license, birth certificate or passport wouldn't be allowed to complete the purchase. In most states, driver's licenses, the most common form of identification, are issued at age 16.

"These are daunting and sometimes insurmountable hoops women are forced to jump through in time-sensitive circumstances, and we will continue our battle in court to remove these arbitrary restrictions on emergency contraception for all women," Northup said.

Other contraceptive contraception advocates called the move promising.

"This decision is a step in the right direction for increased access to a product that is a safe and effective method of preventing unintended pregnancies," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. "It's also a decision that moves us closer to these critical availability decisions being based on science, not politics."

Social conservatives had opposed any efforts to loosen restrictions on sale of the morning-after pill, arguing that it was important for parents and medical professionals to be involved in such decisions involving young girls.

The group Concerned Women for America charged that health officials were putting politics and so-called progress ahead of the health of children as well as women.

"It makes no sense that kids need parental permission to take aspirin at school, but they're free to buy and administer Plan B," Penny Nance, CEO and president of CWA, said in a statement.

Half the nation's pregnancies every year are unintended, and doctors' groups say more access to morning-after pills could cut those numbers. The pills contain higher doses of regular contraceptives, and if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, can cut the chances of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. But it works best if taken in the first 24 hours.

The FDA had been poised to lift all age limits and let Plan B sell over-the-counter in late 2011, when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in an unprecedented move, overruled her own scientists. Sebelius said some girls as young as 11 are physically capable of bearing children but shouldn't be able to buy the pregnancy-preventing pill on their own.

President Barack Obama supported Sebelius' move and a spokesman said earlier this month that the president's position hadn't changed.

The Justice Department could appeal Korman's ruling and seek a stay. If granted, the appeals process would move through the courts, while Plan B is sold over the counter whenever Teva has the product repackaged to meet FDA's requirements.

Absent a stay, "we will want to go back to court as quickly as possible and ask the judge to hold them in contempt," said Janet Crepps, a senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The FDA said Tuesday that Teva had provided data proving that girls as young as 15 could understand how Plan B works and use it properly, without the involvement of a health care provider. Teva plans to conduct a consumer-education program, and indicated it is willing to audit whether stores are following the age requirement, the agency said.

FDA said its ruling applies only to Plan B One-Step, and not to generic versions of the pill which would remain behind pharmacy counters with the age-17 restriction.

If a woman already is pregnant, the morning-after pill has no effect. It prevents ovulation or fertilization of an egg. According to the medical definition, pregnancy doesn't begin until a fertilized egg implants itself into the wall of the uterus. Still, some critics say Plan B is the equivalent of an abortion pill because it may also be able to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, a contention that many scientists ? and Korman, in his ruling ? said has been discredited.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-morning-pill-ok-ages-15-232957915.html

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