Morning-after pill not easy to get, despite its legalityCONCORD, N.H. -- Reproductive rights advocates say getting the morning-after pill is not as easy as it's supposed to be, even though it is legal in New Hampshire.
Representatives for Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League say a Laconia pharmacist's refusal last month to fill a woman's prescription for the pill is an example of the unofficial barriers that can prevent a woman from getting the emergency contraceptive. They also say it is an example of why many doctors and pharmacists want the morning-after pill to be made available over the counter. Last month Suzanne Richards went to a Brooks pharmacy to get the morning-after pill, but pharmacist Todd Sklencar refused to fill the prescription, citing personal beliefs. Brooks Pharmacy does not allow pharmacists to refuse prescriptions based on personal beliefs. By the time Richards found another pharmacist to take her prescription, the pill's time window had expired. Access to emergency contraception has long been a nationwide problem, partly because doctors' offices are closed on weekends, and those patients may not know where else to go for a prescription. Some doctors provide women with advance prescriptions. In Concord, for example, the Feminist Health Center offers a standing prescription to women who are seen for any reason. "I really think that it varies so much around the country and in the state," said Laura Thibault, executive director of the state's chapter of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. "On one extreme, you have the doctors who will be proactive about it, and on the other extreme is what happened in Laconia. And then you have everything in between," she said. When taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, the morning-after pill acts like birth control pills by blocking the release of an egg from the ovary. It may prevent fertilization of that egg, and if fertilization does occur it will prevent the egg from implanting in the womb, which is the medical definition of pregnancy. Unlike mifepristone (or RU-486), a pill that can terminate an early pregnancy, Plan B has no effect on an egg that has already attached to the womb. But many anti-abortion activists believe life begins at fertilization and that emergency contraceptives (and birth control pills) are equal to abortion. New Hampshire allows pharmacists to refuse to fill a prescription for any reason. But if a pharmacist is not comfortable with filling a prescription, the pharmacist is required to refer the patient to another pharmacy or pharmacist who can, which Sklencar reportedly did not do. ------
Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com © Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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