Charity: Sell morning after pill for £10 with no questions asked
THE morning-after pill should be sold in shops for no more than £10, according to Britain’s largest abortion clinic.
And the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) also wants the law changed so women can buy the contraceptive without having a consultation beforehand.
Currently, the morning-after pill can only be bought from chemists after women have been taken aside by a pharmacist and have answered a series of sensitive questions.
Many find this judgmental and embarrassing as they are quizzed about their sex life and health – sometimes within earshot of other customers.
Then, even if they are offered the pill, it costs £30 – five times more than in other European countries. The charity describes this as the ‘ultimate sexist surcharge’ and is calling for it to be widely available for no more than £10.
Although it can be obtained for free from GP surgeries and family planning
‘There is no financial justification’
clinics, many women cannot get an appointment quickly enough.
An investigation by the Mail earlier this year exposed how the morning-after pill was being sold on eBay by foreign touts for as little as £5.
However, critics say making it cheaply available in shops will encourage casual sex and lead to it being overused.
There is little research on its long-term harms if used repeatedly and it offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases. It can cause sickness, abdominal pain, headaches and dizziness and may also react with other medications, rendering it ineffective at preventing pregnancy.
In rare cases the pill can lead to an ectopic pregnancy which can be fatal for the woman and the unborn child.
The pill works in two ways – by preventing the release of the egg and by irritating the lining of the womb, so the foetus cannot implant itself.
Pro-life campaigners claim it is a form of abortion – especially as some pills now work five days after unprotected sex.
But BPAS wants to bring the UK in line with the USA and other European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden and Norway.
It is particularly concerned about women in their thirties and forties who are avoiding the pill on the assumption they are far less fertile than in their twenties. Ann Furedi, chief executive, said: ‘It is utterly stupid that we have made a medication which gives women a second chance of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy so hard to obtain.
‘There is no financial justification for the high price of this pill, nor clinical reason for a consultation before it can be sold.
‘It’s time to ditch what is the ultimate sexist surcharge and put emergency contraception where it belongs – on the shelf, at a price women can afford.’
But Patricia Morgan, a family policy researcher said: ‘It will just encourage casual sex and a general lack of responsibility.’
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust charity, said: ‘With no questions asked about previous medical history or previous use of the drug, there is a very real danger that it could be misused or overused.
‘The health risks to women who use the morning-after pill repeat- edly over a period of time are not known.’
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Emergency contraception is available free of charge from GPs, sexual health clinics and from some community pharmacies. We are clear it is only for use in emergencies and we have no plans to change the system.’
Research has shown that 30 per cent of women aged 16 to 46 have had unprotected sex in the past 12 months and only a third used the morning-after pill.