Joining Washington state, California has begun offering emergency contraception (EC) without a prescription. The program, spearheaded by the Pharmacy Access Partnership, a coalition of public health activists and academics, began last month in Los Angeles and seven other CA counties. It matches pharmacies with clinics that will refer women to them to obtain EC whenever they need it, crucial to women’s health, since EC must be taken with 72 hours of intercourse to be effective in preventing implantation of a fertilized egg. Some pharmacists have even agreed to be on call with after-hours numbers, giving women even wider access to this important reproductive option. Reproductive health experts agree that wider availability of EC could cut the U.S. unwanted pregnancy rate in half.
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