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| Helping pharmacy & health communities improve access to Emergency Contraception (EC) |
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InternationalIn four other countries, Norway, Sweden, India and the Netherlands, emergency contraception is available over the counter. Over thirty other countries provide behind-the-counter access to EC. In these locations, EC is available directly from a pharmacist, without a prescription, although professional intervention is required: Aruba, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Congo, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guinea-Conakry, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Latvia, Libya, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, New Zealand, Niger, Portugal, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, the United Kingdom. (Source: Office of Population Research, Princeton University, August 2007) Australia is one of the countries who recently changed its regulations to offer behind-the-counter access to EC. Click here for more information. In early September 2006, the Chilean government announced that it would provide EC free in public health clinics to young women 14 and older without requiring parental consent. EC is currently a prescription-only product in Chile and has been legal since 2002. Following a legal challenge the measure, a Santiago appeals court issued a temporary injunction to prevent the distribution of EC among young women 14 to 18. On September 21, 2006, the fifth panel of the Santiago Appeals Court overturned the lower court’s ruling. In Canada, Plan B is available as a pharmacy-only non-prescription drug. Learn more about the availability of Plan B in Canada, click here. For updated information about international access to EC, including a list of dedicated EC products marketed worldwide, visit ec.princeton.edu/questions/dedicated.html.
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