Pardon Me, Do You Carry EC?

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding EC (emergency contraception). EC is sometimes known as “the day after pill”. The brand name is called “Plan B”. EC is NOT an “abortion pill”. EC is simply another type of birth control. It is FDA approved and can be purchased over the counter. You don’t need a prescription, but you do need an ID. You must be 18 years old to purchase the medication. If younger, you can obtain the drug with a prescription.

EC is a responsible way to prevent pregnancy (and abortions). Sometimes things just happen such as forgetting to take your regular birth control pill, the condom breaks, date rape, you realize you made a big mistake, etc. Sometimes you need a Plan B.

In order to be effective, EC may be used up to 120 hours after having sex, the sooner the better! Plan B basically works like a typical birth control pill, only it is a larger dose of hormone. It stops ovulation which prevents fertilization. Again, this is not the abortion pill or RU-486, which is only administered after a pregnancy has been established…that’s not what we are talking about here.

EC is a wonderful thing if women can purchase the drug and do so in the short amount of time necessary. The last couple of years it has been a fight for women to obtain the medication. In Maloney’s book , she gives specific examples of women being turned away when trying to obtain the medication. Even one rape survivor could not obtain EC and had to have her physician obtain it for her. Remember, time is of the essence here. Maloney also illustrates in her book the case regarding Wal-Mart in which the big business was eventually forced to provide the product.

Unfortunately, under the law, pharmacists can still not provide Plan B claiming moral reasons. But, they must refer a woman to another pharmacy that does provide Plan B. It is my understanding that the referral doesn’t always happen and many women don’t realize that the pharmacist is obligated to provide the referral.

We must be vigilant regarding all of our health care needs. So I called my pharmacy to make certain that they do provide Plan B. The Walgreens here in Springfield carries Plan B in all of their stores. I thanked them for it. I also called the Wal-Mart on Independence. They also carry Plan B in that Wal-Mart and all of their other Springfield stores. Again, I thanked them for it. I suggest you do the same and only support pharmacies that meet all of our health care needs.