EC in Massachusetts Pharmacies
Emergency contraception is available without a prescription in pharmacies to anyone 17 years of age or older who can provide a government-issued ID. The 2005 Massachusetts EC law also allows specially trained pharmacists to enter into an agreement with a physician to dispense prescription EC to women of all ages. NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts released a report (PDF) in September 2008 revealing that teens in Massachusetts still face significant barriers in obtaining EC. We surveyed 275 pharmacies statewide to gauge the degree of difficulty young women might face in obtaining EC. Our groundbreaking report, The Morning After: Can Your Pharmacist Help?, will help us to educate pharmacists and advocate for increased access to EC for all women seeking to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. It also has recommendations for how you can help. We found that most pharmacists want to help, but they may not have all the resources needed to do so. Just over half (56%) initially told our 17-year-old “mystery client” what she needed to do to get EC, and most of the rest (30%) got it right after prompting. (Note that at the time the survey was conducted, 17-year-olds needed a prescription for EC and could not but it over-the-counter.) We also discovered that: The average cost is $44.35 – way out of reach for many women.
Nearly 90% of pharmacies surveyed had Plan B® in stock, but it varies widely by county (with the least access in Hampshire and Hampden counties).
A majority of pharmacists (71%) provided a referral for teens to get a prescription; typically, they suggested a family planning clinic or community health center, but 18% directed her to the ER or hospital.
Six percent (6%) of pharmacists gave incorrect information about how EC works, with 4% still incorrectly confusing it with the early abortion pill Mifeprex (RU-486).
View the full report online. (PDF)
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