Calls for emergency contraception to be available without a pharmacist consultation

Calls for emergency contraception to be available without a pharmacist consultation

The Pharmaceutical Journal
2 DEC 2019

A report from the the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there is no evidence that emergency hormonal contraception has been misused or overused.

Emergency contraception (EC) should be available over the counter without the need for a consultation with a pharmacist, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said.

Continued: https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/news/calls-for-emergency-contraception-to-be-available-without-a-pharmacist-consultation/20207415.article?firstPass=false


Australia – Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say

Birth control pills should be available over the counter, advocates say
But Australian doctors group says plan for easier access to contraceptives raises ‘red flags’

Melissa Davey
Mon 22 Oct 2018

Women’s health and equality groups are at odds with the peak body for doctors as to whether the contraceptive pill should be made available in Australia over the counter.

It follows a commitment by Victoria’s opposition to make the contraceptive pill available over-the-counter from pharmacists if the coalition is elected in November. Under the plan, women would be required to visit their doctor in the first instance but able to obtain future courses of the pill from a pharmacist.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/oct/22/birth-control-pills-should-be-available-over-the-counter-advocates-say


U.S.: Should over-the-counter medical abortion be available?

Should over-the-counter medical abortion be available?
Daniel Grossman

At the moment, the idea of over-the-counter access to medication abortion in the United States sounds crazy. But preliminary data suggests it is safe

Friday 28 April 2017

The coat hanger – often with a red line through it – is a powerful feminist symbol. Conjuring images of women suffering unspeakable consequences of unsafe abortion, the coat hanger sends a foreboding message about a past we must not return to. The implications are clear: abortions women give themselves when they cannot access legal services are dangerous.

While the coat hanger rhetoric has been useful for the abortion rights movement, it has become problematic in the 21st century. Coat hangers are no longer the method of choice for women who want to end a pregnancy on their own. In my research in Texas, women much more commonly report using medications or herbs when they try to self-induce an abortion. Some of these medications are very safe and effective, while the problem with herbs is that they are often ineffective.

Continued at source: The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/28/should-over-counter-medical-abortion-be-available