In the US, the morning after pill
has been made available for women over the age of 15 and is to be sold over the
counter, rather than on prescription only. This increased availability for a
younger population has been met with scepticism among critics. Here we consider
the main issues.
The pill, which goes by the name Plan B One-step, works for 72 hours after intercourse and can be effective in
one of three ways. Firstly, it may delay or prevent ovulation. Secondly, it may
impede the fertilization of an egg. Lastly, it works by altering the lining in
the uterus, thereby preventing fertilized eggs from being implanted in the
uterus. Overall, there is no evidence that points to the treatment harming an
unborn foetus or terminating a pregnancy. Moreover, the treatment does not
protect against sexually transmitted infections.
While proponents of the ruling argue that wider
availability of this pill is beneficial to womens’ health and breaks down barriers
to treatment, opponents maintain that if the product were to be sold without
prescription young girls would be put at risk. Another argument that has been
put forth is that as the treatment is already available in pharmacies, the
over-the counter availability may confuse individuals seeking to buy treatment.
Although the age-restrictions have been lowered, retail assistants are still
responsible for asking for the age of the person buying the treatment and are
not to sell it to young-looking women who fail to provide proof of age.
However, it is not clear where the supposed confusion would stem from, or who
would be responsible for addressing it.
We
are not surprised that this treatment has been made available over-the-counter
as we are aware of many barriers to getting this treatment, with stigma perhaps
being the most obvious one. Given the reports of high rate of unintended
pregnancies in the US, it is important that the issue is given due attention.
From what we have seen in media reports, the outrage stems from either
misunderstanding of the treatment (assuming it is for abortion purposes) or
from the fact that it would be given to younger women (and put them at risk).
We feel that enabling the product for a lower age group is in line with research
findings on unintended pregnancies. In addition to that, there are no reports
to our knowledge on the risks being increased for younger patients or the
treatment resulting in termination of pregnancy. We always aim to base our
opinion on scientific evidence, rather than stigma or social pressures. Based
on what we know from research to date, it is clear that the criticisms are
unfounded.