The 2013 decision will alleviate traditional barriers to the availability and use of EC. EC like levonorgestrel (LNG) are today recognized and accessible over the counter to all (Moore, Ryan, and Stamm 2). However, potential users still encounter myriad systematic barriers to access to EC despite their potential benefits. A recent study established that despite perceived improvement in EC access, low stock and inaccurate information provided by pharmacy staff are still perverse obstacles to access (Moore, Ryan, and Stamm 2). These challenges are compounded by religious beliefs that have historically trumped women’s reproductive rights. Many religiously affiliated health care organizations, especially Catholic hospitals, discourage the provision of EC even to victims of sexual harassment (Patton, Hall, and Dalton 515). Pharmacists may object to dispensing morning-after pill to you on moral grounds or religious beliefs. Therefore, I strongly believe that the 2013 decision will enhance access to and use of emergency contraception, something that I strongly believe should be accessible equally to all.
Decreased unwanted pregnancies are perhaps one of the major potential consequences of the 2013 decision. Clinical trials have consistently confirmed that CE prevents pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure (ESHRE Capri Workshop Group 752). EC reduces the chances of conception after unplanned sexual intercourses such as sexual harassment. Although critics may argue that the 2013 decision might encourage teenage sex and abortion, the ESHRE Capri Workshop Group brings to light the fact that unwanted pregnancies breed a host of societal problems such as “teenage pregnancy, single parenthood, incomplete education of women, welfare dependency, poverty, lack of prenatal care, substance abuse in early pregnancy, low birth weight, infant mortality, and child abuse” (752). Therefore, this decision will partly reduce some of these issues.
Works Cited
ESHRE CapriWorkshop Group, et al. "Emergency contraception. Widely available and effective but disappointing as a public health intervention: a review." Human Reproduction 30.4 (2015): 751-760.
Moore, Alia, Sarah Ryan, and Carol Stamm. "Seeking emergency contraception in the United States: a review of access and barriers." Women " Health
just-accepted (2018).
Patton, Elizabeth W., Kelli Stidham Hall, and Vanessa K. Dalton. "How does religious affiliation affect women's attitudes toward reproductive health policy? Implications for the Affordable Care Act." Contraception
91.6 (2015): 513-519.
