FDA Scientists Have 2 Major Qualms About OTC Birth Control Pills

The New York Times: F.D.A. Advisers Weigh Allowing First U.S. Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill 
It was like a tale of two birth control pills. At a hearing Tuesday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration should authorize the country’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, a panel of independent medical experts advising the agency was left to reckon with two contradictory analyses of the medication called Opill. (Belluck, 5/9)

CNN: As FDA Advisers Consider OTC Birth-Control Pill, Agency Scientists Worry It Won’t Work Due To Women’s Weight And Likelihood Of Following Label
The FDA scientists say they have two main concerns about Opill, a “mini pill” that uses only the hormone progestin. One has to do with obesity. The FDA approved Opill as a prescription drug in 1973, and “the prevalence of obesity in adults in the United States has changed dramatically since the original clinical studies were conducted over 50 years ago,” the scientists wrote in the document, citing a 13% obesity rate in 1960 compared with a 42% obesity rate now. (Cohen and Sealy, 5/9)

Abortion updates from North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio —

VPM: North Carolina Abortion Bill Could Heighten Stakes In Virginia 
A North Carolina bill that would ban most abortions past 12 weeks of pregnancy could have major consequences for Virginia providers, patients and legislative races if it becomes law, according to groups involved in the debate. North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, has vowed to veto the bill, which would also place major restrictions on abortion providers. Republicans hold enough seats in the state’s Legislature to overrule a veto, but Cooper urged several members of the Republican super-majority to buck their party. (Paviour, 5/8)

AP: South Carolina Republicans Advance New Abortion Restrictions 
South Carolina Republicans are pushing new abortion restrictions in a late attempt to curtail access after a near-total ban failed last month. A Senate bill that would ban abortion except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy is moving quickly through the South Carolina House in the first sign that Republican leaders may be close to restoring limits passed in 2021 but overturned by the state Supreme Court. The effort cleared two hurdles Tuesday. (Pollard, 5/10)

Reuters: Ohio Abortion Rights Fight Highlights Republican Electoral Vulnerabilities 
Republican vulnerabilities on abortion policy are on display in Ohio, with the party playing defense against a surge in abortion rights activism that could help President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party in next year's elections. Facing a Wednesday deadline, Republicans have spent weeks preparing a measure that could make it more difficult for voters to approve a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights that Democrats and activists are working to get on the ballot in November. (Lange, Borter and Ax, 5/10)

Also —

Military.com: Mifepristone Probably Won't Work As A Treatment For Combat PTSD, New Study Finds
More than a decade ago, the now controversial medication mifepristone showed promise for alleviating symptoms of service-related post-traumatic stress disorder in men. A new study published Tuesday, however, counters previous research, determining that, in most cases, the drug used in medication abortions currently facing judicial review in the U.S. court system is no more effective for treating military PTSD than a placebo. (Kime, 5/9)

NPR: Maternity Home Provides A Place For Women Who Decide Not To Have An Abortion 
Called the Nesting Place, it's part of a Christian organization in Nampa, Idaho, that tries to dissuade people from abortion and persuade them to take up parenthood. Women can live in the home for free while they carry pregnancies. After their babies are born, they can stay for six months longer. (5/9)