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news
Pharmacies to
sell morning-after pill
By Monesia Hobbs
Special to the On-line Forty-Niner
As "safe sex"
continues to be the buzzword on college campuses, students
are looking for new methods of protection and prevention to
add to the narrow group of options they are faced with.
Students now have another option right at their fingertips.
Gov. Gray Davis signed a law that will take effect on Jan.
1 next year, making emergency contraceptives, commonly known
as the morning-after pill, available without a prescription.
Emergency contraception is a large dose of birth control pills,
which can be used after unprotected sex to avoid pregnancies.
It is taken in two doses 12 hours apart and works best when
the first dose is taken within the first 72 hours of unprotected
intercourse.
California is the second state in the country to make such
a decision, coming only after Washington. Eleven other
states considered the bill but will not make any further judgments
until they see the effects in California.
"California is a bellwether state for many other parts
of the country," said Jane Boggess, director of the Public
Health Institute's Pharmacy Access Partnership. "Once
proven successful here, other states will see the benefits
of starting their own programs."
The new law was created in an effort to reduce the number
of abortions, by giving women the option to correct the mistake
in a timely manner and avoid pregnancy.
The contraceptive will be available at any pharmacy and pharmacist
will be able to prescribe it to children without parental
involvement or knowledge.
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California is a co-sponsor
of the bill and believes that this bill will play a huge part
in preventing abortions in California.
One student said she agrees.
"I believe that this bill offers some of those women
who may not have insurance, an opportunity to use some sort
of birth control and not have to pay exorbitant amounts of
money to see a doctor for birth control." said Torrie
Baker, a senior in the department of education.
Using this process, women can go to any pharmacy, be it Rite-Aid,
Walgreen's, etc. and the pharmacists will be able to provide
the emergency contraception. There is no need to make an appointment
and no age limit.
One reason the California Medical Association supported this
bill was the time constraint. It usually takes a couple of
days before a person can see a doctor or gynecologist, but
for the treatment to work effectively, it must be used immediately.
Men may also find advantages to the emergency contraception.
One advantage may be that the morning-after pill will decrease
unwanted pregnancies and children out of wedlock, which in
turn does not give any long term responsibility they may not
be ready for.
"This can be a good thing but it can also be a bad thing.
There are side effects that we don't know about yet; but it's
a good thing for guys in the long run." said Lorenzo
Pedraza, a junior in the psychology department.
This also gives men an alternative if something goes wrong
during intercourse, such as a condom breaking or slipping
off, or if they did not pull out in time.
The California Right to Life believes that the law allows
pharmacists to act beyond their training and believes the
drug induces abortion. They are opposed to the bill.
The California Pro-Life council did not oppose the bill and
are only concerned with pharmacists dispensing drugs without
seeing a patient's medical history.
"When you go to the drug store or the clinic they never
know your medical history but will still give you what you
need, " said Glenna Hobbs, a social work major in her
sophomore year. "The pharmacists, just like the clinics,
can only go off of what we tell them. I don't believe
that this is any different."
Emergency contraception should not be confused with the abortion
pill, Mifepristone or RU-486. Emergency contraception
is used to delay ovulation so that, in essence, the sperm
will die before they reach the egg.
Mifepristone is a non-surgical option to abortion, which prevents
a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, expelling the
fetus.
A trial program was tested in Northern California in January
2000 and now includes 70 clinics and pharmacies. Since the
program began the clinics and pharmacies have provided pills
to several thousand women. Instead of waiting for an appointment
at the clinic, the women can go directly to the pharmacy and
get the pills immediately.
For more information about the morning-after pill, visit plannrdparenthood.org
or call the Student Health Center on campus, (562) 985- 4771.
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