NewsHour Backgrounders
December 29, 1997
A report on the
remarkable changes in reproductive technology .
May 29, 1997
A number of women have experienced problems while using the
Norplant birth control device.
January 22, 1997
Today marks the 24th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion in Roe V.
Wade.
September 19, 1996
The FDA has tentatively approved U.S. sales of the
French abortion drug, RU486 .
April 11, 1996
A debate is underway on whether managed care organizations need more
regulation.
Browse the Online NewsHour's coverage of health.
Outside Links
Program for Appropriate Technology in
Health (PATH)
The Emergency Contraception Website
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Drug makers and health providers have known for decades that high doses of traditional birth-control pills can prevent pregnancy after conception. For years, women who have been raped, or who believe that their birth control has failed have been prescribed extra doses of contraception pills, known as "morning-after" pills, by their doctors. A new project in Washington State is delegating to the pharmacist the authority to prescribe the pills, raising concerns about the diminution of the patient-doctor relationship.
The goal of Emergency Contraception Pilot Project is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Under the plan, pharmacists sign an agreement with a physician that allows them to distribute emergency contraceptive pills. Before now, if an incident occurred on a weekend, women had to wait until the next working day to call their doctor and get a prescription for the pills.
Organizers hope that if the project works successfully in Washington, it could be implemented in more states across the U.S.
Emergency contraceptive pills should not to be mistaken with RU 486, the abortion pill. The pills can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching itself to the uterus, a process that can take 6 to 9 days, but they do not effect a woman who is already pregnant. Some women experience nausea and vomiting after taking the pills and additional side effects include fatigue and dizziness.
Anti-abortion groups are protesting the project, saying that more readily-available emergency contraception pills will encourage risky behavior and unprotected sex. They argue that couples might rely on "morning after" pills as a form of contraception.
This forum asks: Should emergency contraceptive pills be available without a doctor's prescription? Would this encourage risky sexual behavior? What are the moral implications of the "morning-after" pills? Will it be harmful to take away the relationship between patient and physician?
Our guests are Dr. Tom Norris, Associate Dean and Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Jane Hutchings, Director of the Emergency Contraception Pilot Project.
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