Good News!! After years of foot-dragging, the FDA has granted over-the-counter status to Plan B emergency contraception for women 18 and older. Though this is a long-awaited victory for reproductive health care rights, this age requirement continues to impede access to EC for Iowa teens. The U.S. has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the developed world — anything that makes it harder for teenagers to prevent pregnancy is bad medicine and bad public policy. 

EC, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), works primarily by stopping ovulation and may also prevent fertilization or implantation into the uterus. EC is a safe method of contraception prescribed by health care professionals to prevent unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion. 
 

Research shows that over-the-counter access to EC does not increase or encourage sexual activity among teens and better access to proven prevention methods like accurate sex education and emergency birth control are the best ways to reduce teen pregnancy.

With the FDA’s recent approval for EC over-the-counter sales, it is now more important than ever to make sure pharmacies will stock and fill requests for EC. In recent months, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa surveyed over 400 pharmacies statewide (both chain and independently owned stores) to determine access and availability of EC in Iowa pharmacies. The responses have been categorized based upon PPGI’s opinion that pharmacies and pharmacists must ensure immediate access to EC without discrimination or delay. Click here to see if your pharmacy* ensures access to EC. 

The study results found that a shocking 42% of Iowa pharmacies do not stock or dispense EC. These results are alarming and unacceptable. All of these pharmacies carry other hormonal methods of contraception such as the birth control pill, DepoProvera shot, NuvaRing and OrthoEvra patch. So why not EC? Lack of access to EC is a result of pharmacists and physicians not understanding how EC works, as well as anti-choice groups attempting to deliberately misinform and create confusion about EC and how it works.

EC can only be effective if women, physicians and pharmacists are informed and provide prompt access to it. 

Project Pharmacy recommends and encourages women to have EC in their medicine cabinets as a safe method of backup birth control prior to an incident of unprotected sex. Because EC is effective if taken within 120 hours after unprotected sex, though most effective if taken within the first 72 hours, immediate access to EC is crucial.  If women had proper access, EC could prevent 1.7 million unintended pregnancies each year in the U.S.

EC is expected to be available in pharmacies across the state by the end of the year (December 2006) but is always available to all women in Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the state and the Emma Goldman clinic in Iowa City.

* Note that Planned Parenthood affiliates and the Emma Goldman clinic in Iowa City were not included in this research because it is already known that EC is regularly stocked and dispensed at these clinics.
 

Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa research results

Pharmacy Directory

Get Involved

Last updated 5/3/07