The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said it would hold a meeting today to discuss whether emergency contraception should be made available as an over-the-counter drug in Taiwan.
This is as part of a push by the government to protect women’s autonomy, which would make emergency contraception, also known as “the morning after pill,” available without a prescription, officials said.
The FDA yesterday said it would invite medical experts, children’s rights representatives, women’s groups, members of the Ministry of Education and other parties to share their opinions on the issue and find a consensus.
Photo: Chiu-chih-jou, Taipei Times
To protect women’s autonomy and medical privacy, emergency contraceptive should be changed from a prescription drug to an over-the-counter drug, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) said at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that he would order the Ministry of Health and Welfare to consult with medical professionals as soon as possible, and Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) confirmed that the FDA would hold a meeting today.
In 2016, the FDA proposed changing emergency contraception’s status from a prescription drug to an over-the-counter drug, but suspended its plans after fierce debate.
The FDA’s proposal at the time included restrictions on emergency contraceptive, such as only being allowed for those older than 17 and prohibiting advertisement.
At the time, the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology wrote a letter expressing its firm disagreement with the policy change.
In today’s meeting, the FDA would consider not only the medical implications of changing emergency contraception’s status, but also the societal consensus of such a change, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) said yesterday.
As such, the meeting would see both medical experts as well as representatives from civil society groups participate, Wang added.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS