Fighting Pharmacists, Fulfilling the Prescription
In recent years there has been an influx of women receiving prescriptions for the postcoital pill (PCP) also known as the morning-after pill, Plan B, and a form of emergency contraception. Some pharmacists, however, are exercising their right not to fulfill patient’s prescription, based primarily on their personal values and morals. Amidst the negative overtones, women continue to take the morning-after pill in an effort to maintain their rights.
“Timely access to emergency contraception is critical therefore any delay the woman might experience before taking the medication is unacceptable and places an undue burden on the woman,” said Patricia Conner, Emergency Contraception
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The morning-after pill is used after unprotected intercourse or when a contraceptive method fails, such as when a condom bursts. It is also used when a woman who takes the birth control pill has vomited and is worried that she may have “lost” the pill and its effectiveness against pregnancy. PCP is proven to be 85 percent effective in the prevention of pregnancies, if the two tablets are taken at the same time within the 72 hours of unprotected sex. Yet, it is important that a woman take the tablets as soon as possible after unprotected sex and not delay until the third day. This may cause the chances of a successful procedure to decline.
The hormones in the PCP stop an egg from being released; they stop a fertilized egg from implanting itself in the womb.
In September of 2004, Suzanne Richards, a resident of Laconia, N.H. was denied her emergency contraception prescription by pharmacist Todd Sklencar, because he was opposed to prescribing something that could end a life. He informed her to transfer her prescription, but did not tell her where to do so. Three days later the pharmacy contacted her and told her that Sklencar had been transferred to a nearby pharmacy, and that she could pick-up her prescription. Unfortunately, it was too late, and Richards was forced to
Over the counter birth control pills have been a topic of discussion for many women. Some might say it would pose many risks such as not receiving medical checkups and not knowing the side effects of birth control pills. Others may see it as a helpful to women because of the convenience of accessing the pills and not having to take time to schedule appointments. Additionally, due to health care and insurance policies some women might not have an easy access to birth control pills but the cost should not be a factor. Although over the counter birth control would allow an easier access for women, there are reasons why a doctor’s visit and a prescription are required to receive birth control pills.
Carl Djerassi was a chemist in Mexico city that created the first pill that synthesized hormones in 1951. In 1957 the FDA approved the pills for women with menstrual disorders but just three years later the pill was released for sexual protection. Some states still made this drug illegal and it went against many people’s morals. In 1997 the pill was expanded to treat acne (A Brief History 1-2). The pill has come a long way and is still continuing to form in this evolving society. Less than seventy years ago we didn’t even have an oral option for birth control. Today we are fighting over whether the pill can be available over the counter or not.
Healthcare professionals are faced with a multitude of ethical and legal conundrums. Since the introduction of birth control in American history, healthcare professionals have been put in situations to either follow their own moral and ethical beliefs, or choose to follow the law and give healthcare services to those who seek it. A large constituent to the disapproval of contraceptives other than natural family planning, is health professional’s religious beliefs. In addition, Adolescent females who need contraceptives are less likely to seek access to health care providers for these contraceptives in fear of personal information due to their age being released. Through the research provided, cases of pharmacist denial of prescribed or over the counter contraceptives to women have been the majority of conflict in this nation and in others.
As said earlier, it is very significant to have emergency contraception with you if you are sexually active during your travel or you are going out with your new companion on travel. Emergency contraception like will guard you instantaneously against unwanted pregnancy. It will also help you when your other contraception devices have failed. Please remember that emergency contraceptive pills might not be obtainable everywhere and it has to be taken instantaneously as soon as unprotected sex has happened or contraceptive measures have failed. It must be encompassed in your birth control plans and particularly, when you are traveling.
The ethical considerations of this issue, is the responsibility of the hospital to provide all the relevant information concerning access to emergency contraceptives, for rape and sexual assault victims. Brownfield’s defense supports the idea that emergency contraceptives, Plan B, and oral synthetic hormones are the most common form of emergency contraceptives, and this information must be given to the victim upon her request. These contraceptives are called the “morning after pill or plan B”.
Birth control has been a controversial topic since the 1960’s, when the pill arose on the scene and gained popularity. Men and women of certain religious faiths have sought to prevent other women from using birth control. However, most women want to be able to choose when the time is right for them to have a child. This is why birth control is essential, because it allows women and couples in general the freedom to choose and plan their families. In many cases the need to control women by controlling their access to birth control goes all the way to the federal government. The federal government determines what types of birth control are allowed on the market and who has access to them. Some Presidential administrations look more kindly
Although the majority of women can receive birth control from their insurance companies, there is still a need for over the counter birth control. Recently, contraception in the United States has become more of a political issue rather than a public health issue. Present-day contraceptives come in a variety of forms, but still have the same function; to prevent unintended pregnancies (Cartwright-Smith 541). Cartwright-Smith also stated that in addition, certain hormonal contraceptives are prescribed to treat medical conditions such as severe menstrual pain, excessive menstrual bleeding, acne, migraines, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids (541). There have been arguments about how over the counter birth control leads to “promiscuity”. Moreover,
For years planned parenthood has been taking in patients and giving them options for the abortion types they want. Before deciding what type of abortion a patient wants nurses from planned parenthood talk to the patients about abortion. After nurses talk to the patients if they are 100% sure, they begin to explain the types of abortion more. “"Abortion pill" is the popular name for using 2 medicines to end a pregnancy – mifepristone and misoprostol.”(Planned parenthood ). The abortion pill is given to women when they are not that fair in their pregnancy. The pill makes
One of the highlighted provisions within the Affordable Care Act of 2010 was the coverage for all FDA approved forms of contraception without a co-pay. For many patients, this was able to eliminate a financial barrier. However, the largest barriers remain with the clinicians who provide contraception to patients. In a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “unnecessary medical procedures” were cited as barriers to accessing contraception. Among these were pelvic examinations, routine pregnancy testing, HIV screening, and cervical cytology exams. Notably, there are some instances, as listed out in the United States Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (USMEC), which would require
To begin with I isolated the decision to be made, is it ethical for Thomas to refuse to fill Eve’s birth control prescription when he signed an agreement to fill all legally prescribed medicine. The decision he needs to make is either he fills the prescription or not fill the prescription. Second, all the possible actions he can take is either fill or don’t fill the prescription, re-read the agreement he signed, talk to his employer, or quit his job. Third, the people affected by this is Thomas, Eve, company managers, local citizens, and coworkers. Fourth, the net utility of each action is if he doesn’t fill prescription he may be happy because he is against birth control pills due to his beliefs. If he fills prescription he may feel that he
Most birth control pills require a prescription. Some women might expect the visit to their doctors to be filled with blood work and a full physical exam. But to their surprise, the doctor typically asks for information regarding the last date of their menstrual cycle and if they are pregnant. Then the doctor signs off a prescription with no additional questions asked. These quick visits demonstrate that the majority of doctors are not taking the time to examine the health of their female patients to determine if they are even healthy candidates for birth control pills. The majority of doctors must ask more questions regarding weight, smoking habits, and potential heart disease risks. Jandi DuPree is one of the thousands of women that trust their doctors for medications. Dupree was 28 years old when she visited her doctor to get her prescription for birth
Last Tuesday, advisors to the Food and Drug administration voted to make the "morning-after" pill available over-the-counter (1). The FDA has not yet acted on this recommendation (1). The morning-after pill is the vernacular term for emergency contraception, specifically, two pills with the commercial name, "Plan B", which have the ability to inhibit and, depending on one's perspective, possibly to terminate unwanted pregnancies. The FDA approved the first version of the morning-after pill for prescription use in 1998 (1). The issue today is whether it should be available without a prescription.
First, a mother is less likely to seek prenatal care during an unintended pregnancy. Pre-pregnancy health problems may go untreated, the mother may experience pregnancy related health problems such ectopic pregnancy and other maternal health problems (Reducing unintended, 2005).Second, the mother and family may experience psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. An unintended pregnancy can also prove to be harmful for the infant as well. In the first year, an infant is at high risk for low birth weight, abuse and death (Reducing unintended, 2005). As mentioned, many unintended pregnancies are terminated through abortion without regard to life. It is important for women of childbearing age to be aware of alternatives that will prevent unintended pregnancy. Emergency Contraception (EC) also known as the morning after pill is an alternative method used when birth control methods have failed to prevent unintended pregnancy.There are many people who support the morning after pill and many who are against the emergency contraceptive. According to the blog “A Night for Emergency Contraception”, the morning after pill is a good way to stay safe and have fun. Emergency contraception is now easier to take, one no longer has to take one pill then wait twelve hours to take another. It is now available over the counter in a one step formula. People of religious faith on the other hand are not in favor of this type of contraceptive. It seems they
Unwanted pregnancies can be stopped. The morning-after pill can prevent a pregnancy if taken within 72 hours. It can reduce pregnancy by up to 89%. The pill has a higher dose of levonorgestrel, the hormone found in birth control pills. A survey conducted by Livescience.com showed that 22% of females that are of ages 15-19 that had sexual intercourse have used the pill at least once in their lives. The pill can also give teenś privacy.
The idea of Emergency Contraception is not a new to society, however it is still igniting many debates just as it did when it was first introduced to the United States. Emergency contraception continues to be a highly emotional and controversial issue, both for advocates who believe EC will lower the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions, and for opponents who believe that using EC amounts to an abortion. The controversy fueling this debate centers around one of the ways that emergency contraception works. Emergency contraception can prevent or delay ovulation, affect the movement of the egg or sperm: making them less likely to meet, it can also interfere with the fertilization process and prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.