Plan B Approval Said to Be Near

Von Eschenbach added that "no one told me what I should or could do. No one told me what decision I must and must not take."

Bush signaled his support in an Aug. 21 news conference.

"I believe that Plan B ought to be -- ought to require a prescription for minors. That's what I believe," he said, adding the he supports "Andy's decisions." Both actions have enraged social conservatives, who subsequently intensified their campaign to block the approval.

The group Concerned Women for America has led the opposition to wider availability of Plan B, and its president, Wendy Wright, criticized the administration last week for its apparent change of position. She called for von Eschenbach's nomination to be withdrawn, citing his "pandering to political activists and a drug company."

"The FDA would be overstepping its precedent and authority to make Plan B available nonprescription," Wright said on the organization's Web site. "It defies common sense to allow easy access to a high-dose drug, based on the age of the person who buys it, when a low dose for anyone who requires medical oversight."

Word that approval may be imminent set off a flurry last night on Capitol Hill and among family-planning advocates.

"We're very excited about what might happen tomorrow," said Kirsten Moore of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project.

"This is something that women's health groups have been working on for more than a decade," said Amy Allina of the National Women's Health Network. "If the decision comes out as we expect it to, that's a real victory."

Allina added that restricting access to women 18 and older is disappointing. "There's no medical or scientific reason for restricting access. It sends a message that it's somehow less safe for younger women, which just isn't true," she said.

Even as a prescription drug, the morning-after pill has been a flash point in the abortion debate. Many antiabortion pharmacists nationwide have been refusing to fill prescriptions, and many emergency rooms at hospitals run by religious groups do not offer the drug.

But advocates of emergency contraception have also had success in helping to legalize nonprescription "behind-the-counter" dispensing of the drug in five states, including California and Washington.

Researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.