Posted: July 2, 2015 Contributor: PRJKT RUBY
Girls Under 16 Can Now Get Morning After Pill in Europe
The morning after pill has faced it’s fair share of controversy, but has brought nothing but freedom to sexually active women worldwide. Now there is another EC (emergency contraceptive) win to celebrate! The morning after pill EllaOne is now available for girls under 16 years of age in Europe.
EllaOne is an advantageous EC option because it is effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure.
This recent development is thanks to a change of license for EllaOne from the European medicines agency. According to a recent article on the topic from TheGuardian.com, unplanned teen pregnancy is at it’s highest in Europe in the UK. This is just one more reason that girls and women of reproductive age need easy access to EC. Whether condoms, or other contraceptives were used, abandoned or failed, with the use of EC, women can prevent unplanned pregnancies at a surprisingly high rate.
So how will girls under 16 be able to get the pill? It’s a pretty straightforward process. She will first be asked whether or not she is willing to tell her parents she had unprotected sex and if she isn’t, would she be willing to have someone else tell them for her. Other questions will also assure that the girl knows the potential consequences of her actions and what emergency contraception does.
Additional guidance on how to be aware of issues like non-consensual sex, child protection, consent and confidentially has been offered to pharmacists so they can assure all girls and women are seeking EC as a result of their own actions, not as a result of abuse or other bad situation.