Survey Says: Emergency Contraception Access Restricted in Yet Another State

By Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel
National Women’s Law Center

Another survey of pharmacies reveals that women’s access to emergency contraception (EC or the morning-after pill) is restricted. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington just conducted a survey of pharmacies in Washington state. The survey showed that more than 10 percent of the pharmacies in the state do not stock or refuse to dispense EC.

This survey comes on the heels of a federal district court decision permitting pharmacists to refuse to provide EC, despite a rule passed by the pharmacy board saying otherwise. 

WA NARAL helpfully provided a map of all the pharmacies they surveyed, so Washington women can figure out if they will be able to access this time-sensitive drug at a particular pharmacy. Wouldn’t it be nice if women could count on getting it at any pharmacy? Or better yet, at grocery stores and gas stations, like other over-the-counter products? Or if women under 18 could access it without a prescription?

If you’re getting frustrated with the continued assault on EC, here are two things you can do:

1. Sign up for our webinar next week, which will walk you through our new toolkit on working with state pharmacy boards to stop refusals.
2. Sign onto a petition put together by Choice USA and Advocates for Youth, urging the FDA to make EC truly over-the-counter for all women.