Exciting news from the world of contraception today: the Toronto Star reported that the morning after pill will be available on drugstore shelves in Canada, which means it will be available to any woman who needs it, and women won’t have to request it from their pharmacist, which can often mean invasive, embarrassing, or judgmental questions, or even outright refusal.
Click here for some of this blog’s most recent thoughts on emergency contraception.
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four comments
Hooray! I wonder if it will still be as expensive. I think it's about $40 which is pretty prohibitive.
Posted by Thea
May 16, 2008, 1:22 PM
Will Walmart carry it? I think they just recently agreed to in the US.
I wonder if there'll be cases of certain other drug stores not carrying it. Or do they legally have to?
Posted by TIINA
May 16, 2008, 1:55 PM
This is great news. Many people still face barriers trying to access ECP both inside and quite a bit outisde major urban centres. In research and personal experience, I've been refused, had questions around my "irresponsible" sexual practices, been scolded, and other judgemental instances that have been echoed by others. And don't even get me started on what I've experienced in the U.S.!
One of the common arguements I've heard against OTC availability is the fact that "young girls can just come and get it" without any education for next time. However the real problem is in the laughable state of affairs of sexual education in schools, there are many people across Canada that don't even know you can ask a pharmacist for ECP right now.
Condoms can bought without talking to someone about getting them and even free at many clinics, which questions some gender equality of protection and who's going to have to deal with what after the fact. And I'm not saying that both sexes (and intersexes and trans) aren't equally responsible for birth control, however it seems like it's way easier for the male apparatus.
Posted by Jessica
May 16, 2008, 2:25 PM
Does anyone know whether there will be any age restictions in place for buying EC? The Toronto Star article I read about it stated that it didn't know if the drug would be available to under-18s.
Posted by C.K.
May 21, 2008, 11:48 AM
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