Today marks the National Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action, which aims to spread the word about the importance of emergency contraception.
I just started working at the Institute for Reproductive Health Access and NARAL Pro-Choice New York and have been doing the online outreach of the campaign (it's a project of the Institute) to remind peeps about the significance of EC and that just because we -- as in adults, not minors (except in certain states) -- now have OTC (over-the-counter) status doesn’t mean our work around EC is finished. Not by a long shot.
Being in this new “dual label� environment (meaning adults have OTC access, but minors don't) makes it all-the-more necessary to raise awareness about EC within the teen population, particularly to dispel myths (ex. EC isn’t safe for teens) and give them resources of where they can get it. There’s also other issues of access with the new OTC status, as in the cost of Plan B sold at pharmacies can be a barrier for low-income women as well as the difficulty immigrant women may face due to the ID requirement. And then there’s, of course, the “conscience clause� asshole pharmacists and the legislators that are working against its availability to rape victims in hospitals.
But don’t fret; we’ve also had quite a few victories just over the past couple of months concerning EC:
- Kroger Company has required that their pharmacies must make EC available to their customers.- Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill requiring hospitals, rape crisis centers and pharmacies to provide information on EC to rape victims.
- After the possible threat of withholding funding from the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health potentially over the Plan B hoohah, the FDA announced that all $4 million will be allocated to the department this year. Yay!
Wins and losses aside, BUYBC is one amazing resource for teens, pharmacists, and activists who want to mobilize for emergency contraception. (Or simply learn more about it!) So spread the word and don’t forget to Back Up Your Birth Control!
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I tried trackback and got an error, so I just thought I'd mention here that I've got a post at my blog about the things that I do (keep backup contraception on-hand, etc.) to be extra-sure that my birth control is reliable. Anyone with other good ideas is welcome to leave them in my comments thread, or if you'd like to post about it on your own blog, I'll link to you. A compilation of ideas could be a cool resource.
Rosie needs to go. Let's keep the excellent campaign going, but we need to leave the "Rosie the Riveter" symbol/image behind and come up with something new.
Aw, why? I love Rosie. She's so butch.
Many gynecologists agree in opinion, that oral contraception, that is reception of tablets, - the best way of protection against undesirable pregnancy.