Remedy out of reach

Besides abortion clinics, what words make smoke and fire pour out of anti-abortionists' ears?

The morning-after pill.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the contraceptive on a prescription-only basis, but as its name implies, the pill needs to be taken right after the fact for it to be effective. Calling your doctor to schedule an appointment, then waiting a couple days for your appointment, running to the pharmacy ... you get the picture - the mission has failed.

The contraceptive's makeup may not be as alarming as once supposed: The active ingredient in the morning-after pill simply has a stronger concentration of the same steroid that is found in the daily pill.

We agree with Carl Djerassi, a chemistry professor at Stanford and a recipient of the National Medal of Science for the first synthesis of an oral contraceptive, who suggests the morning-after pill should be presented as part of a sexual emergency kit.

The pill could be available for women who are in a dire situation, such as having been raped. The packet could be picked up at any pharmacy, and would include, as Djerassi suggests, a very detailed informational package insert.

When faced with an emergency situation, traditional methods are too costly, painful and inconvenient. Let's put trust back into a woman's decision and allow her to pick up the pill in an emergency situation without a doctor's consent.