Joint Committee on Public Health to Hold Hearing on Access to EC
Synopsis: Joint Committee on Public Health will hear public arguments for and against a bill to improve access to emergency contraception (EC).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2005
Joint Committee on Public Health to Hold Hearing on Access to Emergency Contraception
Boston, MA – The Joint Committee on Public Health will hear public arguments Wednesday at 10:00 am, in B-2 of the State House, for and against a bill to improve access to emergency contraception (EC), also known as the morning-after pill. An Act to Increase Access to Emergency Contraception (H.1643 & S.1319) will make EC available to rape survivors at hospital emergency rooms and enable pharmacists to dispense EC without a prescription through a voluntary collaborative agreement with a physician.
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts – the state’s leading advocate for women’s reproductive health – anticipates a favorable report out of committee and together with the Mass Coalition for Choice has made passage of the bill a top priority for this legislative session. Lead sponsors of the bill include Sen. Pam Resor (D-Acton), Rep. Douglas Petersen (D-Marblehead), and Rep. Marty Walsh (D-Boston).
Testimony in support of the bill will be offered by Rebekah Gee, MD, Harvard Residency Program in Ob/GYN; Dan Robinson, PharmD, Dean of Northeastern University School of Pharmacy; Rosie Munoz Lopez, Director of Healthy Baby/Healthy Child, Boston Public Health Commission, and Holly Franz, a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, among others.
Emergency Contraception is a safe and effective contraceptive method for use after sexual intercourse, when contraceptives have failed, or when no contraceptives were used. The sooner EC is used the better, but it can be effective within five days after unprotected sex. Accessibility to EC is widely seen as the principal barrier to its use. A 2004 survey by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts found that one in six Massachusetts hospital emergency rooms failed to make EC available to women who’d been raped.
“By enabling pharmacists to dispense EC, this bill will allow more women to access EC in the early hours after unprotected intercourse when it’s most effective,” said Melissa Kogut, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. “Better access to EC means fewer unintended pregnancies and therefore, fewer abortions. This is an important public health goal. We look forward to a favorable report and passage by the House and Senate this session,” Kogut added.
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