No doctor needed to get morning-after pill

It could be your worst nightmare.

After a night of unprotected sex, women can find themselves scared, confused and at risk for an unplanned pregnancy.

These women have had the option of taking emergency contraception - or "the morning-after pill" - since it became available via prescription in 1998.

But now, emergency contraception is about to become even easier to obtain.

By the end of this year, the "morning-after pill" is set to be sold over the counter - no visit to the doctor necessary.

On August 24, the Food and Drug Administration approved Plan B - the drug's brand name - for sale in pharmacies without a prescription for adults. Women aged 17 and younger will still require a prescription.

And experts are optimistic that this may reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies among college-age women, as college students are especially likely to engage in unprotected sex.

High levels of binge drinking and substance abuse on campuses may be responsible, according a report released by the University of Michigan.

At Penn, officials say Plan B is and has been easily accessible through Women's Health Services, a division of Student Health Services.

"All they have to do is ask for it," Women's Health Director Janice Asher said.

One dose of Plan B costs $15 at Women's Health Services. It currently costs $20-$40 at most pharmacies.

According to Asher, 869 doses of the drug were given out in the 2005-2006 school year.

Barr Pharmaceuticals, the drug's maker, currently earns about $40 million on Plan B sales each year. Analysts estimate that sales could reach $100 million annually with the drug's over-the-counter status.

Asher expects the FDA's decision to have a greater impact on non-college students, however.

"For people who are not students, it can be very cumbersome" to get a doctor's appointment, Asher said. "Now it'll be easy for everyone. . It gives women that much more control over their reproductive lives."

The drug contains high doses of hormones in traditional birth-control pills and prevents fertilization. Mimi Zieman, a gynecologist at Emory University School of Medicine, does not consider it a form of abortion and says it is safe for general use.

For the treatment to succeed, users must take a tablet within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse and another tablet 12 hours later.

Because the drug is time-sensitive, the FDA and advocates of emergency contraception hoped that making it available over-the-counter would increase access for women who might have difficulty obtaining a doctor's appointment.

"The sooner it's used, the more effective it is," said Zieman.

Taken within three days of sex, Plan B has been proven to be 89-percent effective. The drug is more effective when taken within 24 hours of sex.

Zieman said that 49 percent of the nation's pregnancies are unintended, and these rates are highest among teens.

Still, the drug remains controversial. Many anti-abortion groups maintain moral objections to Plan B.

"This debate is not merely about contraception," said Frank-Paul Sampino, a College senior and the president of Penn for Life.

Sampino equated the pill with abortion, saying, "If you're against abortion, you shouldn't take this pill."

Penn for Choice president and College junior Sonia Pascal said the FDA's decision was a move in the right direction.

"Ideally, we would like to see [emergency contraception] on the shelf next to Tylenol," Pascal said.

Because the drug will only be available via prescription to minors, it will still be located behind the counter in pharmacies.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.