By Travis Lupick, Georgia Straight
August 10, 2007
Plan B contraception is now available in B.C. without a prescription, according to an Options for Sexual Health media release.
Commonly known as the morning-after pill, Plan B can now be obtained by both men and women over-the-counter and in advance, Greg Smith, executive director for OPT, told the Straight. Plan B is available at pharmacies and all OPT clinics.
“We’re providing the product through OPT at a very low cost so it’s more accessible than it would otherwise be as a prescription drug,” Smith said.
The morning-after pill can be used by women following unprotected sex to reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 80 percent. It is most effective when taken immediately after intercourse but can be used up to five days later, according to OPT.
Guidelines for use and supplementary materials on Plan B are available on OPT’s web site.
OPT’s media release highlighted the fact that in ideal conditions condoms are 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, but real-life use, however, only has an effectiveness of about 85 percent. Most condom failures are a result of “breakage or slippage”.
“We’re going to continue to lower the rate of unplanned pregnancy and its consequences for any women of child-bearing age and their partner,” Smith said.
“It gives men an additional resource that they can use to share the responsibility for managing unplanned pregnancy”.
B.C. pharmacists have been dispensing Plan B as a prescription medication since 2001.
In February 2006, the Straight reported the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia had recommended to the B.C. government that Plan B become a nonprescription drug.
Public response to the story was passionate but mixed.
