Morning-after pill can be arduous to get

This month, two years after drug regulators approved sales of over-the-counter emergency contraceptives, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered that Plan B One Step be made available without a prescription to girls over the age of 14. In Canada, the so-called morning-after pill has been available over the counter in most provinces since 2008. But access to it is not consistent across the country — and anti-abortion activists typically object to its basic availability. The National Post’s Kyla Garvey offers eight things to know about the place of emergency contraceptives in Canada:

1 The first widely used morning-after pill was approved and marketed in the U.K. in 1984. In 2008, it became available in Canada, over the counter, for women as young as 14, although not in all provinces. Matthew Wojciechowski, communications co-ordinator for Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion group, said allowing uninhibited access to the pills “infringes on what parents know about their children. young girls are at risk because if no one is helping [them], the pill becomes an ‘easy solution’ and encourages sexual promiscuity. We need to protect our girls. ”

2 In Saskatchewan, a prescription is required for emergency contraceptives. Women, regardless of their age, must fill out paperwork before they can buy Plan B, and it is not covered by medicare. Nurse practitioners and pharmacists can issue prescriptions in Saskatchewan, and Planned Parenthood and other community health clinics offer access to nurses, but activists say barriers remain to access in rural and northern communities. Anne Rochon Ford, executive director of the Canadian Women’s Health Network, said allowing pharmacists to control access to emergency contraceptives can be problematic. “It comes down to a moral judgment overlay. I would only endorse it if there was consistency.”

3 evelyn Reisner, executive director of Sexual Health Centre Saskatoon, said it is not uncommon for women to be sent to Planned Parenthood clinics after being denied access at pharmacies. Canadian pharmacists are bound by a set of ethics that requires any druggist refusing to dispense the pill to refer rejected patients to another location, and they can be reported and disciplined if they fail to do so. The prescription process for emergency contraceptives is “very problematic,” said Christine Smith, executive director of Planned Parenthood Regina. ‘‘Anyone should be able to access it, whenever needed.’’

4 In Quebec, women require a prescription for emergency contraceptives; however, pharmacists are allowed to prescribe medications.

5 In Newfoundland, emergency contraceptives are available over the counter to women of all ages, but are not covered by medicare.

6 Internationally, emergency contraceptives are sold under names such as Postinor-2 and Levonell, which is sold in more than 30 countries. The Canadian versions are sold under the brand name Plan B and other generic versions known as Nextchoice, and Norlevo. A significantly cheaper alternative is the yuzpe Method, offered at community health clinics and sexual-health centres: a daily high-dose “birth control,” such as Min-Ovral, is administered by doctors. Between two and five pills are prescribed immediately and again 12 hours afterward. The yuzpe Method has potent side effects, but costs significantly less.

7 Pharmacies can charge $20 to $50 for emergency contraceptives, and sometimes additional physician “consultation fees.” In Saskatchewan specifically, pharmacies charge upward of $45 for Plan B. But Planned Parenthood Saskatchewan offers the yuzpe Method, free of charge, and Plan B for $15 ( just above cost).

8 On average, 9.2% of Canadian women aged 15-44 used emergency contraceptives in 2011. The percentages ranged from 11.1% in B.C. to 5.8% in Saskatchewan. In Alberta it was 10.2%; 9.5% in Quebec; and 8.4% in Ontario. In contrast, 10% of women in the U.K. and 12% of women in France used emergency contraceptives in 2011.