UK: The Anti-Abortion Movement Is Coming for Contraception Too

There is a pattern here, and we are calling it out.

09 Jul 2026
Alisa Berry Ryan

This week, reproductive rights news has been full of the same old anti-abortion playbook: spread stigma, muddy the facts, pretend healthcare is dangerous, and then act shocked when people demand easier access to basic reproductive care.

The latest target? The morning-after pill.

Emergency contraception works best the sooner it is taken. Yet access still depends on whether your local pharmacy is open, whether you can travel, whether you can pay, and whether you are forced into a conversation at a counter when what you need is safe, effective, time-sensitive healthcare.

Continued: https://abortionrights.org.uk/the-weekly-spotlight-the-anti-abortion-movement-is-coming-for-contraception-too/

09.07.2026

Commentary

Alisa Berry Ryan

College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

emergency contraception

Poll suggests UK public supports morning-after pill being sold in corner shops

Rebecca Whittaker
Wed, July 1, 2026

The morning-after pill should be sold in corner shops and petrol stations like paracetamol, doctors have suggested, after a poll highlighted public concerns about accessing the contraceptive.

Almost half of the UK population (43 per cent) say it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while almost two-thirds (65 per cent) believe it would be difficult to obtain after 10pm.

Results also suggest only 7 per cent of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday, with perceived barriers rising dramatically outside typical opening hours.

Continued: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/poll-suggests-uk-public-supports-094351671.html

01.07.2026

News

College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Dr Zara Haider

emergency contraception

morning after pill

Europe

United Kingdom

Japan allows over-the-counter ‘morning after’ pill for first time

Oct 20, 2025
Jaroslav Lukiv

Japan has for the first time approved over-the-counter sales of an emergency contraceptive pill, its manufacturer says, allowing women in the country to take the medication without prescription.

ASKA Pharmaceutical said wider access to the pill would "empower Japanese women in the area of reproductive health". A date for it to go on sale has yet to be announced.

The pill will be labelled as "medicine requiring guidance", meaning women must take it in the presence of a pharmacist.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gwxkdkyn0o

20.10.2025

News

emergency contraception

over the counter emergency contraception

Asia

Japan

Contraception

Polish presidential frontrunner pledges to sign bills on contraception, Silesian and constitutional court

Mar 15, 2025
Notes from Poland

Rafał Trzaskowski, the presidential candidate of Poland’s main ruling party, says that, if he wins the election, the first bills he would want to sign would be to allow prescription-free access to the morning-after pill, recognise Silesian as a regional language, and overhaul the constitutional court.

Those bills have been blocked by current President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. Trzaskowski says that he also wants to sign “as soon as possible” a bill liberalising the abortion law, though the ruling coalition has not yet managed to pass one.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2025/03/15/polish-presidential-frontrunner-pledges-to-sign-bills-on-contraception-silesian-and-constitutional-court/

15.03.2025

News

Andrzej Duda

Donald Tusk

emergency contraception

Law and Justice party

New Research Finds Potential Alternative to Abortion Pill Mifepristone

The research could further complicate the polarized politics of abortion because the drug in the study is the key ingredient in a pill used for emergency contraception.

By Pam Belluck and Emily Bazelon
Jan. 23, 2025

A new study suggests a possible alternative to the abortion pill mifepristone, a drug that continues to be a target of lawsuits and legislation from abortion opponents.

But the potential substitute could further complicate the politics of reproductive health because it is also the key ingredient in a contraceptive morning-after pill.

Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/health/abortion-pill-ella.html

Can Unavailability Of OTC Morning-After Pills Impact Women In India: Dr Decodes

Accidental pregnancies can put a lot of mental and physical strain on lakhs of women in India. What will happen if over-the-counter birth control pills are not easily available?

by Kinkini Gupta
October 23, 2024

Few weeks ago, it had come to the attention of several media outlets that The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) was holding discussions on the likely ban on over-the-counter oral emergency contraceptive pills (OEC). The initial plan was to convert these easily available pills to prescription only. It also aimed to curb its irrational use. However, as of October 12th the drug regulator decided against pushing any new rules on the sale of these pills. According to a senior official from CDSCO, there was no change made in the status quo regarding sales and distribution of Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) brands.

Contraceptive pills and its easy availability is very crucial especially in a country like India. Indian healthcare is not one hundred percent reliable when it comes to women and birth control. There still are a lot of stigmas and shame attached to birth control and women's sexual health. Dr Tripti Raheja, the Lead Consultant of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi decodes the impact of unavailability of these pills for women in India.

Continued: https://www.thehealthsite.com/pregnancy/can-unavailability-of-otc-morning-after-pills-impact-women-in-india-dr-decodes-1140832/

23.10.2024

Commentary

CDSCO

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation

Dr Tripti Raheja

emergency contraception

India – Why we shouldn’t ban the morning-after pill

If unreasonable abuse of the drug is feared, creating awareness would be the way to go about it

Angellica Aribam
15 Oct 2024

Social media was recently abuzz after a special report in this publication went viral. It referred to a subcommittee formed by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) that would likely impose a ban on over-the-counter sales of all hormonal contraceptives, including emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) in India. It evoked massive outrage, as it is a nightmarish move that impacts the bodily and sexual autonomy of all women.

The policymakers seem to have taken “irrational overuse” as a reason for proposing this ban. It paints an inaccurate picture of women abusing these pills, which are associated with tremendous side effects, not as a means of survival but recreationally. Undoubtedly, it would be a gross misinterpretation of on-ground realities and neglect the issue of reproductive health inequity in India. Additionally, the introduction of a prescription from a doctor would be utopian, completely disregarding the stigma attached to sex in our society.

Continued: https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2024/Oct/15/why-we-shouldnt-ban-the-morning-after-pill

15.10.2024

Commentary

Angellica Aribam

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation

emergency contraception

Femme First Foundation

hormonal contraceptives

Poland’s president vetoes law on free access to morning-after pill for ages 15 and above

The Associated Press
March 29, 2024

WARSAW, POLAND - Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Friday vetoed a law that would have allowed over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill for girls and women ages 15 and above, his office said. Duda said he was concerned about the health of minors and heeding the voices of parents.

A statement by Duda’s office said the president sent the law back to the parliament, but was open to a debate on free access to the hormonal contraception pill for those aged 18 and above.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/poland-s-president-vetoes-law-on-free-access-to-morning-after-pill-for-ages-15-and-above-1.6827301

29.03.2024

News

Andrzej Duda

EllaOne

emergency contraception

Canada – Deal on pharmacare bill has been reached with Liberals ahead of March deadline, NDP says

The legislation is a critical piece of the supply-and-confidence pact between the two parties, in which the NDP agreed to support the Liberals on key votes in the Commons

The Canadian Press
Mickey Djuric, Laura Osman and Mia Rabson
Feb 23, 2024

The federal Liberals and New Democrats have reached a deal that would allow every Canadian with a health card to access free diabetes medication and birth control, the NDP confirmed Friday.

The coverage is to be included in the first piece of a national pharmacare program, with legislation expected to be introduced in the House of Commons next week.

Continued: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/pharmacare-deal-reached-liberals-ndp

23.02.2024

News

coverage of birth control

coverage of contraception

emergency contraception

free contraception

Jagmeet Singh

Justin Trudeau

national Pharmacare program

Canada

Contraception

Politics

The Right to Contraception: State and Federal Actions, Misinformation, and the Courts

Mabel Felix, Laurie Sobel, and Alina Salganicoff
Oct 26, 2023

Introduction
The Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling has heightened interest in affirming the right to contraception. While the Court’s majority opinion stated that the Dobbs decision does not “cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion,” Justice Thomas argued in his concurring opinion that in future cases, the Court should reconsider precedent that relied on the same principles as Roe – including Griswold v. Connecticut, the Court’s 1965 landmark decision that recognized the right of married people to obtain contraceptives – and overturn those decisions. The prospect of the Court overturning Griswold moved some in Congress to introduce federal legislation that would protect the right to contraception, though that legislation is unlikely to advance in the current divided Congress. Similarly, some state legislators have recently introduced measures to protect the right to obtain contraceptives.

Continued: https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/the-right-to-contraception-state-and-federal-actions-misinformation-and-the-courts/