Germany is one of the few countries in Europe where the morning after pill is not available over-the-counter. Family planning experts told The Local why they are fighting for this to change.
Accessing emergency contraception in Germany means going to the doctor for a prescription. This is no easy task at night or at weekends, and an “unnecessary barrier,” Ines Thonke of Germany’s female heath umbrella organization, the Nationales Netzwerk Frauen und Gesundheit, told The Local.
In 28 other European countries, and 79 worldwide, emergency contraception is available over-the-counter in a pharmacy. “These countries serve as evidence that over-the-counter works,” said Thonke.
German health policy makers maintain that the pill has dangerous side effects and warrants a doctor’s consultation.
Yet the World Health Organization (WHO) disputes this. “There is no scientific reason to support there being a real risk of serious side effects,” Thonke explained. “The biggest risk is taking it too late.”
For Thonke and Pro Familia – the country’s largest family planning organization – this refusal to change the law in Germany comes down to money. “The more women come into a doctor’s clinic, the more money they get,” she said.
“Germany’s doctor lobby group does not want it [the pill] to go off prescription.
“They are using the argument that women need a consultation but they know full well that this does not happen – receptionists hand out the prescription without a doctor involved.”
The Social Democrats, who are the junior partner in the coalition government, agree and have joined growing calls to change the law. “It is not an abortion drug, as opponents often claim, but an emergency contraceptive that prevents against unwanted pregnancy, which can lead to an unwanted abortion,” party health politicians said in a statement.
And the number of abortions generally drops when a country takes the drug off prescription, a parliamentary committee found last year.
Read more here: http://www.thelocal.de/20140218/morning-after-pill-laws-a-barrier-for-women
Source: The Local - Jessica Ware