Make morning-after pill available over the counter, women’s organisations confederation says

The Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisation (MCWO) said yesterday that it disagrees with the conclusions of a Parliamentary committee earlier this week and insisted that the morning-after pill (MAP) should be available over the counter.

A joint Parliamentary committee agreed earlier this week that the pill should only be available on prescription. It also said that the decision as to whether to license the MAP should rest with the Medicines Authority, which should also take into consideration the recommendations of Parliament.

In a statement yesterday, the MCWO said: “Women in Malta have the right to a wide choice of emergency contraception and this should be widely available over the counter in order to allow women more control over their lives, their health and their bodies.”

The MCWO is an umbrella organisation which represents 12 local organisations with collectively around 24,000 female members. It is a full member of the Brussels-based European Women’s Lobby.

Yesterday, the Women’s Rights Foundation also criticised the committee’s decision that the MAP should only be available on prescription.