Media Center: Press Release

Physicians Call on Congress to Fund Education Programs on Emergency Contraception
03/25/2008

Back Up Your Birth Control Day Highlights Lack of Knowledge About Emergency Contraception Among Healthcare Providers and Women

New York, NY—Physicians around the country today called for better education about emergency contraception (EC), on the seventh annual Back Up Your Birth Control Day. Members of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health urged Congress to pass the Emergency Contraception Education Act, a bill that would provide federal funding to teach women and healthcare providers about EC. Emergency contraception is a concentrated dose of the hormones found in daily birth control, and can prevent pregnancy if taken within 120 hours of unprotected sex.

“The more women know about emergency contraception, the more they will use it,” says Dr. Michelle Isley, an obstetrician/gynecologist and a fellow with PRCH. “Even doctors aren’t always well-informed; I teach medical students about emergency contraception, and many of them confuse the morning-after pill with medication abortion.”

Studies have shown that only 25% of gynecologists always or usually talk with their patients about emergency contraception. As a result, some women find out about the medication too late. Dr. Angela Dempsey-Fanning, an obstetrician/gynecologist and a fellow with PRCH, has many women patients who were unaware of EC. “I see so many women with unintended pregnancies who are surprised to learn that there is a safe backup method available if a condom breaks or they miss a few days of their birth control pills. It’s devastating when my patients could have prevented a pregnancy, but now face a difficult choice about whether to have a child.”

Dr. Dempsey-Fanning believes the need for education is even greater now that EC is available to women 18 and older without a prescription. “It’s much easier for women to get EC, but first they need to know this method is available. We want them to think of EC as a safe and responsible backup plan if they have unprotected sex.”

The Emergency Contraception Education Act is one of eight bills included in the Prevention First Act, an omnibus bill that would expand preventive health services with the goal of reducing unintended pregnancy and abortion. It currently has 84 sponsors in the House and 10 in the Senate.

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