Soon no Rx for morning-after pill?: Over-counter sales may win OK for 18 and up

Women might soon be able to get the morning-after pill without adoctor's prescription -- a hotly debated plan that seemed to be stuckin bureaucratic limbo until Monday.

After months of silence on the matter, the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration told Barr Pharmaceuticals that it wanted to meetwithin seven days to talk about how to allow women 18 and older towalk into pharmacies and buy the emergency contraceptive Plan B over-the-counter. Minors would still need a prescription, despiteindependent advisers to the FDA in 2003 overwhelmingly endorsing over-the-counter sales for all ages.

SHOULD BE 'LISTENING TO WOMEN'

The FDA's apparent willingness to widen …