By Chaya Wilkins
The New York State Assembly is considering a bill that would allow pharmacists to give women the “morning after pill,” known as Plan B, without a prescription.
The bill, introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, has been passed up for four consecutive years. Though the new version addresses most of the previous issues that held it up, it still does not contain an age restriction, a provision Governor George Pataki opposes.
“The assemblywoman and the governor actually worked on the rewording of the bill,” said Liore Milgrom-Elcott, a spokeswoman for Paulin. “One of the original concerns of the governor is that women under 16 would get access to the pill.”
The bill contains regulations that would require pharmacists to complete training so they are able provide information about sexually transmitted diseases prior to distribution of the pill.
“A pharmacist must engage a woman with questions and information so that it is a full meeting and not just over-the-counter,” Milgrom-Elcott said.
Women are also required to go to a pharmacist in the county where they live. Another stipulation is that women are only allowed to purchase the pill, an effort to deter men who might be encouraged to practice unsafe sex because of the pill’s accessibility.
However, there is a question as to whether the bill will pass because of the lingering concern about age.
Currently Planned Parenthood of Nassau County dispenses the pill to women of all ages.
However, the University’s Wellness Center does not offer Plan B.
“We don’t have an age restriction, we won’t refuse to serve a patient that needs family planning care,” said Emily Gertz, Planned Parenthood sexuality educator. “It helps you plan a family when you are ready for one.”
Gertz said users of the pill have a 120-hour window after unprotected sex. The sooner it is used the better. “I think it is a good idea to have it over the counter because if you have unprotected sex over the weekend and you can’t get in touch with your doctor, you are in trouble,” said a University freshman who wished to remain anonymous.
Anti-Abortion activists are also speaking out against the bill because they feel the “morning after pill” is a form of early abortion.
“We oppose that bill for both practical reason and moral reason. From a practical standpoint it’s important to remember that ordinary doses of birth control pills still require a doctor visit and a doctor’s prescription. With the [morning after] pill you are talking about multiple doses of the pill. It doesn’t make sense to allow higher doses of those same pills to be available over the counter,” said Kathleen Gallagher, a spokesperson for New York State Catholic Conference.
“A lot of people have misinformation, so anti-choice people think it is the same thing as the abortion pill, but it’s not because it does not terminate pregnancy,” Gertz said. “If a woman is already pregnant, emergency contraception [the “morning after pill”] won’t harm the pregnancy, whereas the abortion pill terminates the pregnancy. Emergency contraception stops ovulation or fertilization and that is the same as birth control pills which prevent ovulation.”
The assembly thinks statistically there is much to gain from the over- the-counter distribution of the pill. “There are currently more than 120,000 abortions annually and of those, 21,000 were of girls 19 and younger,” Milgrom-Elcott said.
“The rough estimate is that the morning after pill would cut the abortion rate in half.”
The assembly is unsure whether the bill will be passed, but they agree it could help women avoid unwanted pregnancy.
“It is an alternative product, so that you don’t have to go to the extreme of abortion if a mistake has been made,” said Felicia Jourdain, a junior broadcast journalism major. “Ultimately it is a woman’s decision.”

State Assemby votes on “Plan B.”