Tuesday 16 June 2015

The Morning-After Pill Is Now Available to Girls Under 16 in the UK—But There's a Big Catch

The Morning-After Pill Is Now Available to Girls Under 16 in the UK—But There's a Big Catch

Photo: Getty

The morning-after pill has been available[1] over-the-counter with no age restrictions in the United States for two years. Now, Europe is following in its footsteps. Contraceptive drug ellaOne, which can stop you from getting pregnant up to five days after unprotected sex, will now be available at pharmacies to all girls of reproductive age. This marks the first time that anything like this has been made officially available to girls under 16 in Europe.

For some, it won't be as simple as picking up a pill at the nearest drugstore. In the UK, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe, any girl under the age of 16 will have to talk about her sexual activity with a pharmacist. According to The Guardian[2], the pharmacist will have to ask her whether she's willing to tell her parents that she's had unprotected sex, and if she answers no, they'll have to ask if she is willing for somebody else to tell them. There will also be questions that will help the pharmacist determine if the teen understands what happened to her and what the consequences of taking the pill are.

While it's understandable that they're trying to make sure girls are being responsible with this drug, many question whether this provision will make it even more embarrassing for teens to buy the pill and might even deter someone in a real crisis from doing it. What do you think?

Related:
Everything You Never Knew About Emergency Contraception[3]
The Government Makes Plan B Available to Girls of All Ages Without a Prescription[4]
How Birth Control Has Changed Our Society For the Better[5]

Source : http://www.teenvogue.com/my-life/2015-06/morning-after-pill-uk
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