Access to Emergency Contraception
Emergency contraception (EC), also known as "the morning-after pill" or as the name brand Plan B, is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Every woman deserves every opportunity to prevent unintended pregnancy.
In August 2006, after a three-year campaign by Planned Parenthood, among other groups — and the recommendation of its own blue-ribbon panels of experts — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally put women's health before politics and approved the sale of EC without a prescription for women 18 and older.
Despite its potential to prevent unintended pregnancy, and thereby reduce the need for abortion, anti-choice groups continue to oppose emergency contraception, mischaracterizing how it works and how safe it is. As a result
- Teenagers are still denied over-the-counter access to EC.
- Some hospital emergency rooms refuse to provide EC to sexual assault survivors.
- Some pharmacies will not stock EC.
- Other pharmacies ignore their responsibility to respond to women's health needs and turn women away.
Planned Parenthood is leading the fight to ensure that every woman who needs EC has access to it.
Join the Planned Parenthood Action Network and learn how you can protect access to all reproductive health care services for yourself and others.
Published: 06.17.08 | Updated: 06.17.08
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