'Morning after' pill in stores

The over-the-counter contraceptive is in most Triangle drugstores, or will be

The over-the-counter version of the "morning after" contraceptive pill arrived quietly on Triangle pharmacy shelves this week.

The drug had stirred controversy in August when federal regulators decided to make it available to women without a prescription. Proponents say it prevents pregnancy, while detractors say it can prompt an early chemical abortion by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.

A quick canvass of area drugstores, including major chains and independent pharmacies, found that most have the medication in stock or expect to have it shortly.

The drug, which goes by the brand name Plan B, is highly effective at preventing pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of having unprotected sex. It has been available on a prescription basis since 1999. Many women and health providers say making it more widely available in over-the-counter sales will reduce unwanted pregnancies and, by extension, abortions.

Costing between $19 and $50 for a one-dose pack, Plan B is intended to be used as "backup" when regular birth control measures fail or aren't available.

"We encourage people to keep [emergency contraception] on hand in case of mistakes," said Paige Johnson, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina, which operates in Chapel Hill and Durham. "When people understand how it works, it's an 'aha' moment. This prevents pregnancy."

Women must be at least 18 years old and show identification at the pharmacy counter to purchase Plan B, which delivers a higher dose of the same hormone in regular birth control pills. Younger teens must get it from either a doctor or a family planning clinic. Parental consent is not needed to obtain a prescription.

Rebecca, a 24-year-old Raleigh woman who asked that her full name not be used, said she is grateful Plan B was available as a prescription drug a few years ago, when she and her boyfriend had to decide what to do after the condom broke. They went to Planned Parenthood for a prescription. Now it will be easier for women and their partners to have peace of mind if they have unprotected sex, Rebecca said.

"It's another preventive step you can take," she said.

Ashley Tyndall, 21, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill and president of Carolina Students for Life, said she thinks it is wrong for Plan B to be widely accessible to women who may not fully understand it. She does not think it should be available without a prescription.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the drug works primarily by stopping the release of an egg from a woman's ovary. But the FDA also notes that Plan B might prevent fertilization or stop a fertilized egg from implanting.

"If you believe life begins at fertilization then, to be blunt, [Plan B is] a really early term chemical abortion," Tyndall said. "That third potential effect has really been downplayed, I think."

Johnson, the Planned Parenthood spokeswoman, agrees that public knowledge about Plan B isn't where it needs to be.

Many women haven't heard of the drug. Some who have heard the name confuse it with mifepristone, the "abortion pill." That drug, approved by the FDA in 2000, can terminate pregnancies up to seven weeks along. Plan B does nothing to a fertilized egg that already has attached to the uterus, according to the FDA.

Barr Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Plan B, established a Web site to educate consumers, www.Go2PlanB.com, and is also planning print advertisements, which will run nationally in women's magazines, company spokeswoman Carol Cox said.

Local Planned Parenthood clinics are doing their own outreach, Johnson said. Clinics in Chapel Hill and Durham will have a "Free EC" day Dec. 6, where women can receive a free pack of Plan B and information about how the drug works. Lindsay Siler, public affairs coordinator for Planned Parenthood Health Systems in Raleigh, said the Raleigh clinic hopes to have its own Plan B giveaway this spring.