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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS