A new bill in New York could allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception without a prescription.
You may remember (if you're from NY at least) that Gov. Pataki vetoed similar legislation last year because of a fear that younger women would have access to EC. Which was totally ass-backwards because there are no parental notification or consent laws in NY for abortion. So basically, a girl couldn't prevent herself from getting pregnant, but she could terminate a pregnancy. Boggles the mind.
This new legislation is said to address most of Pataki�s concerns:
Pataki, a Republican who supports abortion rights, had said he wanted minors to see a physician first. He also said he wanted to limit the number of pills dispensed and to prohibit men from getting the pills to encourage unprotected sex....The amended legislation would allow pharmacists to dispense only a single dose at a time and only to women. Information about sexually transmitted diseases would also be made available and prescriptions could only be dispensed within the same county as the patient's residence. It does not set age limits.
Sounds pretty reasonable to me.
UPDATE: Jen in comments rightly points out that the restriction mandating that women can only obtain EC in the same county as they live is insane--especially in a time when pharmacists are refusing to dispense EC on a pretty regular basis.
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Right, it sounds reasonable....except for the part that restricts it to your same county of residence.
You're forgetting about the numerous counties in NY whose only pharmacy is Wal Mart -- which will not provide EC in any state except Illinois and Massachusetts. The legislation, then, is pretty much useless in those counties. Granted, a lot of the women in these counties wouldn't have the resources to travel outside of their county to get EC anyway, but that should still be open as an option. Or, you know, NY could require Wal Mart to carry EC. That'd be cool too. Either way, though, without some provisions like this, the legislation's not going to mean shit for a lot of New York women. (Not all New Yorkers live in the city, you know.)