Bloomberg defends morning-after pill in schools

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg is defending New York City's pilot program that provides emergency contraception to students in need.

Last year, the Department of Education launched a program allowing nurses in 13 public schools to provide Plan B, or the so-called morning-after pill, to students. Girls as young as 14 have access to the pills without direct parental consent.

The city's health department says parents were informed of the program from the start and were given the choice of opting out of any or all of the services.

Parents were notified both by mail and by a note sent home with students about the CATCH pilot program and the options they have.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says she supports the program because high school students are sexually active and getting pregnant.

The city says about 7,000 girls get pregnant by the time they reach the age of 17. It says more than half choose to get an abortion.

NYC schools already distribute free condoms to students.

(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)

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