A Santiago, Chile appeals court panel overturned a provisional ban on emergency contraception (EC) last week, allowing women over the age of 14 to obtain EC without parental consent and at no cost from public clinics. The temporary injunction was put in place after two parents and the mayor of La Florida, Chile, Pablo Zalaquet, filed a lawsuit trying to block the government’s liberal decision.
While EC has been available with a prescription in Chile for around $20, and only with parental consent for young women, the decision to provide it for free and with no required parental consent is an attempt to make EC more accessible for younger and poor women. Government spokesperson Ricardo Lagos Weber said, “This seems correct, equitableÉ it obligates us to take responsibility for the profound and serious reality that the sexual initiation of young people in Chile is occurring at a very early age,” reports Reuters.
