Women in most parts of Canada will soon be able to access emergency contraception over the counter. The Canadian National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities recently decided that the drug known by its brand name “Plan B” will be available to women without having first to consult a pharmacist. Emergency contraception is already available without a prescription -- but now women should be able to access it as easily as cold medication. It is hoped that this will mean more women will have access to emergency contraception as an option when faced with an unwanted pregnancy; which will hopefully reduce the number of abortions, as well. Women in Quebec, however, will not be able to access the drug without first consulting a pharmacist as it has not been approved for over the counter sale in that province.

I applaud this move as it will mean that more women will be able to access the drug and also have more control over their bodies. In the past there have been instances, especially in the United States, of women being denied the drug by anti-choice pharmacists who believe that the drug can induce an abortion. This is completely false as emergency contraception can only prevent pregnancy, but does nothing to an already established pregnancy.

It is interesting to note that the drug will not have the same status in Quebec. It once again shows the discrepancy in accessing reproductive health services across Canada. As I have discussed in my blogs before, the lack of centralized health care policy means that there is uneven access to necessary services such as abortion services, and in this case access to drugs. Hopefully this will not be the case for too much longer for the women of Quebec who deserve the same access as women in other parts of Canada.