Produced for LMC-TV by Fran Snedeker

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health® (PRCH) strongly supports the “Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act”

Legislative Backgrounder on the New York State Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act (A.9906/S.6686)

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health¨ (PRCH) strongly supports the “Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act” (A. 9906/S. 6686). The bill would remove unnecessary and harmful barriers to an effective and safe product approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent an unintended pregnancy. As the voice of thousands of physicians in a wide range of specialties, PRCH urges you to support women’s reproductive health by moving this legislation forward and voting in favor of its passage.

PRCH is the only national physician-led organization bringing a unified pro-choice medical voice to policy makers, media, and the public in matters of family planning, abortion, adolescent pregnancy, and reproductive health care. A non-profit, PRCH was created to enable concerned physicians to take a more active and visible role in support of universal healthcare. PRCH is dedicated to ensuring that all people have the knowledge, equal access to quality services, and freedom of choice to make their own reproductive health decisions.

SUMMARY

To increase access to emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) by allowing specially-trained pharmacists to join with a physician, certified nurse practitioner, or midwife in a collaborative drug therapy regiment to dispense ECPs. This means that the consumer would not be required to visit a physician to obtain a prescription, but rather, could receive ECPs directly from a pharmacist who participates in the relationship described.

FACTS

• Medical decisions should be rooted strongly in medical evidence. For that reason, in 1997, the Food and Drug Administration recognized the safety and efficacy of ECPs by endorsing them as a useful tool in preventing pregnancy.
• ECPs are extremely safe for self-administered use by women of all ages. The hormones in ECPs are the same as those that have been used for more than thirty years as daily birth control by tens of millions of women. ECPs do not cause an abortion, and will not affect a pregnancy once it has been established.
• Research has shown that providing advanced prescriptions to ECPs is not associated with either increased rates of unprotected intercourse or lower rates of condom or hormonal contraceptive use. i

• Over-the-Counter access to ECPs is supported by the following national medical associations: the American Medical Associationii, the American Academy of Pediatricsiii, the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologistsiv.
• A 2005 study sponsored by the New York State Comptroller’s office estimated that easier access to emergency contraceptive pills could save New York State $452 million annually, while preventing 122,000 unintended pregnancies and 82,000 abortions each year.

PRCH POSITION

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health¨ strongly supports the passage of the Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2006. As physicians, we are dedicated to providing safe, comprehensive, and appropriate healthcare for all our patients. Providing ECPs through a pharmacist would facilitate access for women who have experienced contraceptive failure, been sexually assaulted, or had unprotected intercourse. We urge you to vote for this legislation.

April 4th, 2006

i Gold, MA, Wolford, JE, Smith, KA. The effects of advance provision of emergency contraception on adolescent women’s sexual and contraceptive behaviors. Journal of Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology. 2004; 17:87-96.
ii American Medical Association. Press Release. Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/pf_new/pf_online?f_n=browse&doc=policyfiles/HnE/H-75.985.HTM. Accessed February 3, 2006.
iii American Academy of Pediatrics. Emergency Contraception. Pediatrics. 2005;116:1038-1046.
iv American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist. Press Release. Available at: http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-14-02.htm. Accessed February 3, 2006