Women who have easy access to emergency contraception are no more likely to have unprotected sex than those who can only get the drugs from a clinic, according to a study in the US. The finding contradicts the arguments of those who object to making such contraceptives easier to get hold of.
The study, led by Tina Raine of the University of California, San Francisco, involved 2117 women who did not want to become pregnant. Some were allowed to keep emergency contraception at home, others could obtain it without prescription from a pharmacy, and the rest could get it only at a clinic.
The women with home access were almost twice as likely to use emergency contraception as the others. However, they were no more likely to have unprotected sex or contract sexually transmitted diseases, nor were they less likely to use contraceptives such as the pill (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol 293, p 54).
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鈥淭his research lends considerable credence to Marie Stopes International鈥檚 view that making emergency contraception more easily accessible does not encourage promiscuity or irresponsible behaviour among women,鈥� says Tony Kerridge, a spokesman for the reproductive health charity. 鈥淭o suggest otherwise would be highly offensive to women.鈥� In most US states emergency contraception is available only from clinics. It is estimated that easier access would prevent half of the 3.5 million unplanned pregnancies in the US each year.
