Make the morning-after pill available on chemist shelves, NO questions asked – to make it as cheap as in Europe
Emergency contraception sets women back £30 in the UK but just £6 in France, with experts warning unnecessary costs put people off
WOMEN in Britain are forced to pay up to five times as much for the morning-after pill than those in Europe.
Campaigners are now calling for emergency contraception to be sold on the shelf at the chemist in a bid to bring down costs.
It is currently only available after visiting the GP, a sexual health clinic, or speaking to a pharmacist.
But the British Pregnancy Advisory Service says women should be able to buy it without an “unnecessary and embarrassing” consultation.
The charity blamed needless restrictions for pushing up prices and labelled it a “sexist surcharge”.
And it warned costs are putting many women off, despite the risk of an unplanned pregnancy.
The morning-after pill is £30 in Britain – compared to £6 in France.
Ann Furedi, BPAS chief executive, said in other countries such as the US, the medication is available to buy straight from the shelf.
She said: “It is utterly stupid that we have made a medication which gives women a second chance of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy so hard to obtain.
“There is no financial justification for the high price of this pill, nor clinical reason for a consultation before it can be sold.
“It’s time to ditch what is the ultimate sexist surcharge and put emergency contraception where it belongs - on the shelf, at a price women can afford.”
The charity said the morning-after pill is less dangerous than many common painkillers and quit-smoking aids that can be bought without checks.
It said health bosses had intentionally made it hard to get in a bid to discourage women using it as a regular method of contraception.
But since its introduction 15 years ago, use has remained steady.
Around one in three British women has had unprotected sex in the last 12 months – but two-thirds opt not to use the morning-after pill.
Sandra Gidley, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the emergency contraception consultation is free.
She said: “Having a discussion with the pharmacist is central to providing emergency contraception.
“A consultation firstly helps define if it will be effective. It further supports a woman to consider her future use of contraception, her risk of sexually transmitted infections and help with any other sexual health questions she may have.”
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And Normal Wells, from Family Education Trust, said: “With no questions asked about previous medical history or previous use of the drug, there is a very real danger that it could be misused or overused.
“Dispensing with the requirement of a consultation with the pharmacist would make it easier than ever for the abusers of vulnerable girls and young women to force their victims to purchase the drug - or even to buy it for them - as a way of trying to conceal their crime.”
There are two kinds of emergency contraceptive pill - Levonelle has to be taken within three days of sex and ellaOne has to be taken within five days.
The medication works by preventing or delaying ovulation.
It can be obtained without charge by visiting a GP or a sexual health clinic, but BPAS said this was not a practical option for many women.
An intrauterine device, or coil, can also be inserted up to five days after unprotected sex.