Gretchen Borchelt, Senior Counsel & Director of State Reproductive Health Policy

by Gretchen Borchelt

Today is the one year anniversary of emergency contraception – otherwise known as the morning-after pill – being approved for non-prescription use by women 18 and older. We refer to it as EC OTC – emergency contraception (EC) over-the-counter (OTC).

Now’s a good time to reflect on what EC becoming OTC has meant, and what barriers still remain. 

Good news: More women are buying EC.  Sales of Plan B®, which is the only EC pill on the market, have doubled since it was approved for non-prescription use.  Clearly, removing unnecessary burdens – like requiring women to visit a doctor and get a prescription – means easier access to this important method of pregnancy prevention, which women will take advantage of.   

But let’s not throw an EC anniversary party just yet.  Serious obstacles remain.  A new factsheet  on this topic goes into them in more detail, but here’s a quick overview: