Expand EC Globally: What's Safe for U.S. Women is Safe for All

Washington, DC - September 18, 2006

After years of inexcusable stalling on the part of the Bush administration, science trumped politics last month when the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency contraception (EC), allowing its sale over the counter to women eighteen and over. Now it's time for the U.S. to help women in the developing world gain access to the life saving benefits of emergency contraception. With risk of maternal death as high as 1 in 6 in countries such as Afghanistan, compared to 1 in 2,500 in the U.S., EC can save lives. PAI urges USAID to start purchasing and using the morning-after pill as part of their family planning arsenal.

EC has no effect on women who are already pregnant. Instead, it works the same way oral contraceptive pills do—by delaying ovulation or inhibiting fertilization—and does so just as safely.

Access to EC is especially crucial in areas of the world experiencing civil conflict, particularly in refugee settings—where rape is often used as a weapon of war, where access to contraceptives is limited and where the living conditions alone are stressful enough to make childbirth life threatening. The U.S. government should encourage and fund the provision of EC as part of emergency health care provided to refugee women through multilateral and nongovernmental organizations.

In countries such as Bolivia, Ethiopia and Madagascar, EC is already a part of Ministry of Health guidelines; the U.S. government should incorporate it into its own development assistance packages as well. Offering a fuller range of contraceptive choices—including EC—would enable USAID and its partners to help women avoid unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions or high-risk childbirths. EC can make the difference between life and death to women who want to prevent an unintended pregnancy. The US should act quickly to expand women's contraceptive choices worldwide.After years of inexcusable stalling on the part of the Bush administration, science trumped politics last month when the Food and Drug Administration approved emergency contraception (EC), allowing its sale over the counter to women eighteen and over. Now it's time for the U.S. to help women in the developing world gain access to the life saving benefits of emergency contraception. With risk of maternal death as high as 1 in 6 in countries such as Afghanistan, compared to 1 in 2,500 in the U.S., EC can save lives. PAI urges USAID to start purchasing and using the morning-after pill as part of their family planning arsenal.

EC has no effect on women who are already pregnant. Instead, it works the same way oral contraceptive pills do—by delaying ovulation or inhibiting fertilization—and does so just as safely.

Access to EC is especially crucial in areas of the world experiencing civil conflict, particularly in refugee settings—where rape is often used as a weapon of war, where access to contraceptives is limited and where the living conditions alone are stressful enough to make childbirth life threatening. The U.S. government should encourage and fund the provision of EC as part of emergency health care provided to refugee women through multilateral and nongovernmental organizations.

In countries such as Bolivia, Ethiopia and Madagascar, EC is already a part of Ministry of Health guidelines; the U.S. government should incorporate it into its own development assistance packages as well. Offering a fuller range of contraceptive choices—including EC—would enable USAID and its partners to help women avoid unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions or high-risk childbirths. EC can make the difference between life and death to women who want to prevent an unintended pregnancy. The US should act quickly to expand women's contraceptive choices worldwide.

Population Action International (PAI) works to improve individual well-being and preserve global resources by mobilizing political and financial support for population, family planning and reproductive health policies and programs.