That's right. The Biting Beaver shares this infuriating blow-by-blow account of her (repeated) attempts to get emergency contraception.
I was told by every urgent care I called and every emergency room that I was shit out of luck. I was asked my age. My marital status. How many children I had. If I had been raped and when I became uncomfortable with the questions I was told, "Well Ma'am, try to understand that you will be interviewed and the doctor has 'criteria' that you need to meet before he will prescribe it for you."
Her story makes it clear that this isn't only about pharmacists flat-out refusing to fill EC prescriptions. No, this proves there are many shades of gray. Find the one doctor or pharmacist who will indeed dispense Plan B, and you may still have to meet his criteria-- i.e., be either married or a rape victim. It's so important to hear the details of stories like the Biting Beaver's and realize what women have to go through to get EC.
I found that the more hospitals and clinics and doctors I called the more ashamed I became. Yep, you heard right. I was feeling ashamed at being such an unworthy dirty whore. Well, at least in the eyes of all these hospitals and doctors and clinics. I cried, then I sweated, then I cried some more, then I called some more.
Plan B won't be available without a prescription until at least January 1. And even then, because of the age restriction, you won't be able to buy it from any old store clerk even if you're over 18. Nope, you've got to find a licensed pharmacy that's opened. And you've still got to ask a pharmacist-- who, in most states, can refuse to give it to you. Good things to keep in mind when national women's rights groups are calling the FDA's Plan B decision a victory.
Go read the whole post. Then find something constructive to do with your anger.
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One step forward, one step back...In the late 80's I got pregnant and had to BEG my doctor for an abortion, and this was in NYC.
This is simply horrifying. I would get the name of each and every doctor who denied her EC, and if she ends up having to get an abortion because of them, post their names everywhere she can and explain how they are responsible for her getting an abortion, when they could have simply prevented the pregnancy in the first place.
See if they like being called "baby killers" as much as she likes being called a "slut"...
Women will also be able to obtain EC without a prescription at health care clinics (like Planned Parenthood). This may help ease a bit of the pharmacist refusal problem. Also, pharmacists will have to provide information on where to obtain EC quickly if they choose not to provide it. Lastly, EC will not have to be handed to the woman by a pharmacist - the pharmacist just has to be at the pharmacy. So, other employees may feel fine with dispensing EC even if the pharmacist doesn't.
Doesn't seem like much has changed. About 10 years ago, I went through a similar situation trying to get EC. I was told because I was married I should just "see what happens". It was just infuriating. I finally got the EC, but felt like dirty whore by the time I left.
Everyone with a prescription plan ought to immediatly get an EC script filled and keep it on hand (I think they're good for 3 years), just in case you catch wind of a woman in a jam someday. Heck, someday that woman might be you!
Unfortunately, since I'm already on the pill, my doc probably wouldn't give me one.
I wonder what would happen if a female doctor refused to prescribe Viagra to a single man because she had a "moral objection" to the fact that he'd use it to go out and screw everything with a pulse?
"I wonder what would happen if a female doctor refused to prescribe Viagra to a single man because she had a "moral objection" to the fact that he'd use it to go out and screw everything with a pulse?"
If there are any female doctors reading this - do this immediately and often.
hedonist, you may still be able to get a scrip for ECP, if you're on antibiotics at any time, or if you can stomach telling your doctor that you forget to take your pill sometimes. I don't know, but since both antibiotics and forgetting render the pill much less useful, it seems worth having a backup to hand.
Two months ago, I needed to get EC. It took me 3 days and numerous trips all over town to finally find a pharmacist who would write a prescription for me. I went to grocery and drug store pharmacies, emergency rooms, and made calls to almost all of the places Planned Parenthood listed on their site for my area. Some of the places were even somewhat rude to me (though, granted, most were helpful to an extent). I finally found a Ralph's that would give it to me, on the very last possible day I could effectively take it. The entire 3 days I was an emotional wreck. Is this supposed to be some kind of sick punishment?
I didn't know this was even going on.
Planned Parenthood gave me EC immediately, so I am thankful for that.
The only thing that pissed me off about them was that when i talked to the nurse I told her I was interested in getting on the pill not only as a contraceptive, but also because I would sometimes go 3 months without getting my period. She told me she can't give it to me because I have a history of migraines and the estrogen could trigger back migraines. I explained to her that I only had a migraine ONCE resulting from stress and that it happened a year ago and she still refused to put me on the pill.
Then I went for my anual pap smear and I told my gyno about it and she put me on the pill immediately saying that the chances of me getting headaches from the pill are very small.
I've been on the pill for about 5 months now and no headaches.
Back to the EC topic, I am also really lucky that my university's health center offers it without asking any questions or without needing a prescription, which is REALLY good to know
It's hard for me to be very sympathetic towards a woman who was denied the right to choose what she does with her uterus when that woman is so staunchly opposed to other women's right to choose what they do with their vaginas.
But in any case, here's a list of Birth Control Pills that can be used as emergency contraception when taken in larger doses http://www.ppgg.org/site/c.esJMKZPKJtH/b.1164221/k.6392/Emergency_Contraception.htm#how_to_use_ec_pills
And pharmacists who deny EC based on personal beliefs should be reminded that if the requester gets pregnant because she was refused the meds needed to prevent pregnancy then she will get an abortion; which would be on the pharmacist's head.
"And pharmacists who deny EC based on personal beliefs should be reminded that if the requester gets pregnant because she was refused the meds needed to prevent pregnancy then she will get an abortion; which would be on the pharmacist's head."
But would that matter to them if they believe that EC is an abortion pill?
http://www.getthepill.com
Through this web site, you can fill out an online form 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and a doctor will review your info and fax a prescription for EC to your local pharmacy (they do ask you to find a local pharmacy that has it in stock), in as little as 2-8 hours (depending on time of day). The form is totally non-invasive, no personal questions, and the $25 fee is comparable (or considerably cheaper) to a doctor's appointment. I had my pills in hand within three hours of sending out the form, and it was a Sunday. FWIW, I am also single and was not raped. The site doesn't serve all 50 states (though it does serve Ohio and thus would have helped Biting Beaver) and will not fax prescriptions to Walgreen's or WalMart pharmacies (I assume these restrictions are based on state laws). An excellent resource, and one we should all share with our women friends.