NCJW Supports Over-the-Counter Access to Emergency Contraception

May 4, 2004, New York, NY -- The Board of Directors of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) issued the following statement:

“The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) strongly supports over-the-counter access to Emergency Contraception (EC). An EC treatment is a concentrated dose of daily birth control pills that dramatically reduces a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. EC does not cause abortion and does not work if a woman is already pregnant. Rather, EC prevents pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation, fertilization, or implantation, in effect giving women a second chance to prevent pregnancy and abortion.

"The sooner a woman takes EC after unprotected sex, the better. Currently, EC is available only by prescription and therefore can be difficult to obtain in enough time to be effective. Many women do not have a regular health care provider, cannot get appointments with providers, or have to travel significant distances to get a prescription. Moreover, women who have been sexually assaulted often do not seek health care.

"Emergency Contraception meets the FDA criteria for over-the-counter drug status and may be used without medical supervision. Hence, a broad range of health professionals including the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have endorsed the proposal to make EC available over-the-counter.

"NCJW urges the FDA to act quickly to make Emergency Contraception available over the counter. In addition, we urge Congress to pass the 'Putting Prevention First Act of 2004,' an omnibus family planning initiative that includes funding for an EC public education campaign and requires that emergency rooms provide access for victims of sexual assault.”

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