Why Emergency Contraception Should Be Widely Available
Dear Activist,
We are pleased to bring you the July, 1999 issue of NationAlert.
This time, NationAlert reports on Wal-Mart's
ban on Emergency Contraception.
In the United States...
There were 2.7 million unintended pregnancies in 1995
(last year for which data is available)
-
48% of women ages 15-44 have had an unintended pregnancy
-
53% of women with unintended pregnancies were using contraception
11 million women reported using contraceptive methods such as
Condoms - failure rate 14% Withdrawal - failure rate 24%
Periodic Abstinence - failure rate 21% Diaphragms - failure rate 12%
Among women using contraception, 51% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion
Why Emergency Contraception Is Not Widely Available
“We continue to resist any mandated referrals since they involve material
cooperation in evil. It would make the thinking, compassionate pharmacist
an ‘accessory’ to the evil resisted in refusing to dispense drugs which
kill by design and intent. The thinking, compassionate pharmacist
in not refusing ‘to help the customer’ but rather has performed a great
humanitarian service to her and her preborn child.”
Bogomir Kuhar, PharmD, FASCP, Executive Director, Pharmacists For Life
International
Please read the following for more information and ways you can take action.
Wal-Mart and "Moralizing"
Pharmacists Ban Emergency Contraception
The battle over women's reproductive health has encountered
a new frontier: the pharmacy. According to Patricia Miller's June 21 Nation
editorial
"Morning
After Pill Ban," Wal-Mart, the nation's second largest pharmacy chain,
has refused to sell FDA approved Preven, an emergency contraceptive and
the first drug ever banned from the shelves at Wal-Mart. Citing the
ban as strictly a "business decision" -- despite the fact that 9 out of
10 top pharmacies carry it and Preven has sold 1.3 million units in its
first three months -- Wal-Mart's refusal to provide Preven demonstrates
how far reaching the attack on womens'reproductive freedom has become.
Although it has been used for years, emergency
contraception is one of the best-kept secrets in women's reproductive health.
Given that contraceptive failure causes half of the 2.7 million unintended
pregnancies each year and that over 27,000 condoms break each day, the
need for immediate solutions to post-coital problems is nothing new. By
taking a regimen of hormone pills within 72 hours of intercourse a woman
can reduce the probability of pregnancy by almost 80%. If used within
12 hours they are far more effective. Emergency contraception has
the potential to halve both the rate of unintended pregnancies and the
1.6 million abortions that occur annually in the United States.
Pharmacists are so pivotal to emergency contraception
that a pilot program in Washington State is allowing them to dispense it
without a prescription. The program revealed that 50% of the women
sought it on a weekend or after 6pm on a weeknight after their regular
contraception had failed. During these hours, it is often difficult
to contact your regular reproductive health care provider for a prescription,
or find an open pharmacy other than a 24-hour Wal-Mart. Women in
rural areas or with health plans that limit participating pharmacies may
be forced to travel many miles to fill a legal prescription that is urgently
needed.
Backed by the American Pharmaceutical Association
(APhA) and state associations, pharmacists who label Preven an abortifacient
claim it is their "right" -- a "right" not previously recognized by the
profession -- to refuse to fill a prescription they find "morally objectionable."
APhA and Wal-Mart both require that the pharmacist refer the patient to
someone else. But, based on an informal survey of Wal-Mart pharmacists
conducted by Planned Parenthood, when asked about obtaining prescriptions
for Preven not one mentioned referrals and many proved to be ignorant of
the mechanics of the drug, confusing it with an abortifacient (which it
is not). The Preven kit, like regular birth control, prevents the
fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall. Unlike RU-486, it does
not end a pregnancy.
Pharmacists for Life International
(PFLI), a small but noisy lobbying group, puts pressure on lawmakers and
state pharmacist associations to adopt conscience clauses that ensure the
rights of pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions they find objectionable
-- including ordinary birth control pills. Legislation of this kind
has already been passed in South Dakota, and similar legislation was introduced
in Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Oregon, and Wisconsin, although these bills
died in session.
While abortion still remains
a volatile issue in the United States, emergency contraception has emerged
as a viable way of reducing the need for abortions and should be
made widely available. The current policies designed to protect the
pharmacist's choice must also protect a woman's choice. Pharmacists should
be trained to, and must practice referring their customer to someone who
will dispense the drug.
It is up to activists now to put pressure on
Wal-Mart, PFLI, APhA and demand that emergency contraception be made easily
accessible. See below for what you can do to add your voice to
this fight.
Clip And Send Letters :
Date: __________________
Mr. David Glass;
Telephone: (501) 273-4000
President and CEO;
Email: letters@wal-mart.com
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc!
;
http://www.wal-mart.com
Bentonville, AK 72126
Dear Mr. Glass,
I am writing to urge you to reverse Wal-Mart's policy that prohibits
its pharmacies from dispensing emergency contraception, including FDA approved
Preven. According to Patricia Miller's June 21 Nation editorial
"Morning After Pill Ban," researchers estimate that if emergency contraception
was made widely available in the United States, the unintended pregnancy
rate of 2.7 million each year, and in turn, the abortion rate could be
halved. As the second largest pharmacy chain in the country, and
perhaps the only accessible retail outlet available to woman in certain
areas, Wal-Mart's policy to not carry Preven demonstrates a complete disregard
for women's reproductive choices.
Every week, 90 million shoppers flood your stores. It is outrageous
to learn that in return for their patronage, you have abandoned your obligation
to serve women's health care needs. I urge you to change your policy
prohibiting emergency contraception immediately.
Sincerely,
Date: _________________
Floyd Hall;
Telephone: (248) 643-1000 or
Chairman, President & CEO;
Customer Care Line 1-800-643-6256
Kmart Corporation;
Email: kmartcustserve@o-ds.com
3100 W Big Beaver Rd!
;
http://www.kmart.com
Troy, MI 48084-3163
Dear Mr. Hall,
I am writing to applaud Kmart's decision to carry and dispense Preven.
According to Patricia Miller's June 21 Nation editorial "Morning
After Pill Ban," researchers estimate that if emergency contraception was
made widely available in the United States, the unintended pregnancy rate
of 2.7 million each year, and in turn, the abortion rate could be halved.
I will remember your support for a woman's reproductive choice the next
time I shop.
Sincerely,
Date: __________________
John A. Gans, PharmD!
;
Telephone: (202) 628-4410
Executive Vice President,!
Fax: (202) 783-2351
American Pharmaceutical Association;
Email: jag@mail.aphanet.org
2215 Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
Dear Mr. Gans,
I am writing to urge you to reconsider your position that supports pharmacists
who find filling prescriptions for emergency contraception "morally objectionable."
Preven is not an abortifacient. It is an FDA approved legal drug,
like birth control pills, that prevents the fertilized egg from attaching
to the uterine wall. According to Patricia Miller's June 21 Nation
editorial "Morning After Pill Ban," researchers estimate that if emergency
contraception was made widely available in the United States, the unintended
pregnancy rate of 2.7 million each year, and in turn, the abortion rate
could be halved.
As the Executive Vice President of a powerful association, your decision
to allow pharmacists to determine what prescriptions to dispense is irresponsible,
interferes with the doctor-patient relationship, imposes pharmacists morals
on their customers and violates a woman's right to make reproductive choices
for herself. At the very least, the referral to another pharmacists
policy should be strictly enforced. The APhA sets the standards of behavior
for the profession and must ensure that all prescriptions are dispensed
in an equitable manner consistent with good medical practice. I will
be watching the actions of the APhA closely in the future.
Sincerely,
Quick Actions:
SEND the "Clip and Send" Letters to Kmart supporting their decision
to carry emergency contraception and criticizing the American Pharmacists
Association. Urge David Glass, CEO and President of Wal-Mart to reconsider
Wal-Mart's decision not to carry Preven.
If applicable, you may also want to add the line "This month
I spent $______ at your competitors and will continue to do so until you
change your policy" to the end of your letter. Include copies of your receipts
for greater effect!
SUPPORT the efforts of Planned Parenthood Federation of America,
810 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019, tel (212) 541-7800, fax (212) 261-4560,
email: communications@ppfa.org Planned Parenthood works to assure
that all individuals have the freedom to make reproductive decisions. The
site features fact sheets on emergency contraception. You can join the
Planned Parenthood Action Network Here
The network mobilizes people committed to defending and increasing access
to family planning services, abortion, and sexuality education. As a member
of the Responsible Choices Action Network, you will be called upon to contact
your member of Congress on critical issues by email, fax, or letter for
free. Network members also receive regular e-mail updates on legislation,
congressional activity and activist news.
TELL Bogomir Kuhar, Executive Director, Pharmacists
For Life International tel:1-800-227-8359, email: pfli@pfli.org
you believe that pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for Preven
are not performing a "great humanitarian service," but are instead violating
a woman's right to make reproductive choices for herself.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
American Medical Women's Association, 801 N Fairfax
Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314, tel: (703) 838-0500, fax
(703) 549-3864, http://www.amwa-doc.org,
The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) is an organization of 10,000
women physicians and medical students dedicated to serving as the unique
voice for women's health and the advancement of women in medicine.
Center For Reproductive Law and Policy, 1146 19th St NW, Washington,D.C.
20036, tel: (202) 530-2975, fax (202) 530-2976, http://www.crlp.org,
The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy is an non-profit legal organization
dedicated to ensuring that all women have access to appropriate and freely
chosen reproductive health services.
National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), 1156 15th Street
NW, Ste 700, Washington DC 20005, tel (202) 973-3000, http://www.naral.org
The NARAL mission is to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the
political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions
regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing
unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children and choosing
legal abortion. NARAL's site has tips for campus organizing and
ways you can get involved at the local level. NARAL/NY publishes the Shopping
for Choice Guide, a partial listing of a variety of companies and their
giving patterns with regard to reproductive issues. The Guide is available
at http://www.naralny.org
National Organization For Women (NOW) 1000 16th St. NW Suite 700,
Washington, D.C. 20036, tel (202) 331-0066, fax (202) 785-8576 email: now@now.org,
http://www.now.org,
NOW supports access to safe and legal abortion, to effective birth control,
to reproductive health and education. NOW opposes attempts to restrict
these rights through legislation, regulation or Constitutional amendment.
NOW supports the right of women to have children, including appropriate
pre-natal care and quality child care, opposes government efforts to limit
or
discourage childbearing, such as family caps and involuntary sterilization.
NOW's site has actions you can take on reproductive issues and a legislative
update.
Office of Population Research at Princeton University,
21 Prospect Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08544, tel: (609) 258-4870, fax: (609)
258-1039, http://opr.princeton.edu/,
designed to provide accurate information about emergency contraception
derived from medical literature and a directory of clinicians willing to
provide emergency contraception in your area.
Preven,http://www.Preven.com,
Emergency Contraception Center maintained by Preven and its manufacturer,
Gynetics. The site contains information on Preven for the customer, doctor
and pharmacists as well as a press center with the latest newspaper coverage
of emergency contraception.
Pro-Choice Resource Center, 16 Willett Avenue, Port Chester,
NY 10573-4326, tel (800)733-1973, fax: (914) 690-0958, email:info@prochoiceresource.org,
http//www.prochoiceresource.org
The Center serves as a resource to grassroots pro-choice groups and supporters
through: trainings covering educating and organizing supporters, fundraising,
media relations, coalition-building, organizational development, and technology;
information through publications, clearinghouse, a toll free 800 number,
and Fax & Global E-mail Network; preparing sample materials for
sending to elected officials.
NATIONAL ALERT UPDATE
WWW.THENATION.COM This August, be sure to visit the updated NationAlert page on The Nation's website. Each month we'll be offering "mini- Alerts," quick actions you can take right from your computer -- like sending an email to Phillips-Van Heusen's CEO demanding he reopen the only union factory in Guatemala and stop using sweatshops. You'll also find updates on previous Alert topics and a list of back issues you might have missed. It's another way we hope to increase participation and attract new activists.
We welcome your feedback on the Nation Alert.
Peggy Randall
<pegnation@aol.com>
Associate Publisher - (212)209-5428
Elena Megaro <emegaro@thenation.com >
Development Nation Associates Coordinator - (212) 209-5427