NEARLY half of all women in the United States between the ages of fifteen and forty-four have experienced at least one unplanned pregnancy in their lifetime. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states the "consequences of unintended pregnancy can be serious, including maternal death and morbidity, low birth weight, birth defects, infant death, maternal and child abuse." Emergency contraceptive pills have the potential to reduce the number of unintended abortions by preventing fertilization and implantation of the zygote in the uterine wall. Two studies conducted in 1998 indicate that "widespread" use of EC could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in the United States by 1.7 million.
The Food and Drug Administrationapproved Preven and Plan B, two forms of emergency contraception, in 1997. They are only available by prescription, however, and some pharmacists refuse to distribute them upon request. Wal-Mart does not carry any emergency contraception, and many chains which have policies of selling emergency contraception do not actually have it available in many of their stores. Because emergency contraception can dramatically reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and because it is neither addictive nor toxic, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Women's Association, American Public Health Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptives.
Last Wednesday, VOX: Voices For Planned Parenthood brought a van to Grounds so students could purchase cheap emergency contraceptives as a backup form of contraception. VOX provided a much needed public service by helping students purchase emergency contraception in case they require it in the future. Because it is currently available only by prescription, women often cannot acquire emergency contraception when they need it, as it is most effective when taken immediately after intercourse and does not work after seventy-two hours have passed. Selling cheap emergency contraception on Grounds is not only a laudable public service, but also an indictment of the general lack of emergency contraception. Because many stores do not provide it, and because it is currently available only with a prescription, emergency contraception is not as readily available as it should be.
In order to decrease the number of unintended pregnancies, the FDA should approve over the counter sales of emergency contraception. Indeed, the FDA's own advisory committees have voted overwhelmingly to make non-prescription emergency contraception available to the public. Yet the FDA, under pressure from the Bush administration and misogynists in Congress, has refused to approve over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception.
Anti-woman activist groups including the American Life League, Life Advocates, and the Virginia-based Family Foundation are responsible for the GOP's vociferous opposition to emergency contraception. These groups claim that emergency contraception is "chemical abortion," even though the World Health Organization classifies emergency contraception as a contraceptive, not a form of abortion.
They also claim that accessible emergency contraception will lead to greater youth promiscuity. This claim is also false, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Moreover, a recent study in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology showed that adolescents who were given emergency contraception pills were more likely to use condoms when they did have sex, decreasing the likelihood of even needing the pills. Based on the evidence and the advice of professionals, emergency contraception is not a form of abortion, can decrease the number of unintended pregnancies and should be available over the counter.
If a woman wishes to avoid becoming pregnant, or to terminate a pregnancy, she should be free to do so. Emergency contraception should be available over the counter because it empowers women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Until it is, students can buy emergency contraception at Student Health, where they will provide a prescription, or at the Planned Parenthood clinic located at 2964 Hydraulic Road. With the continued activism of VOX and other feminist organizations, perhaps we can look forward to a time when emergency contraception is available without a prescription in communities across America.
Zack Fields' column usually appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at zfields@cavalierdaily.com.
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