An Overview of Emergency Contraception
- Emergency contraception (EC) consists of the same hormones found in ordinary birth control pills.
- When taken in a concentrated dosage within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse, EC can prevent a pregnancy from occurring.
- Emergency contraception is not "the abortion pill" (mifepristone, or RU-486) and will not affect an established pregnancy.
NEWS RELEASE
Plan B Decision by FDA a Victory for Common Sense
Emergency Contraception (EC) Played Key Role in Abortion Rate Declines
EXPERT STATEMENT
“The FDA approval of over-the-counter access to Plan B emergency contraception is an historic event in the struggle for women’s reproductive health and rights, and a long-overdue victory for science over ideology,” says Dr. Sharon Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute. “For the first time we’re trusting women to make good reproductive health care decisions by letting them buy their own hormonal birth control, without a prescription. However, many women still do not know about emergency contraception, do not know where to get it or are unable to access it. We need to remove these barriers – whether due to age, income, knowledge or geography – and ensure that ALL women can avoid unwanted pregnancies.”
To set up an interview, contact Rebecca Wind at 212-248-1953 or rwind@guttmacher.org.
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