Prof. Suzanne Mettler's paper defines government policies that are not visible to ordinary citizens as the “submerged state.” 

Based on a federal court ruling last month, the age to obtain Plan B without a prescription will soon be lowered from 18 to 17 years old. The verdict was reached as the result of a lawsuit against the F.D.A., which stated that the previous policy was formed based on inappropriate concessions to conservative lobbyists in the Bush administration.