Pharmacies Commonly Deny Older Teens Access to Emergency Contraception

It’s bad enough that the federal government is preventing younger teens from getting easier access to the morning after pill.

Now we find out that older teens, who by current law should be able to buy ECP’s without a prescription, are being told by pharmacies that they can’t. 

In a phone survey conducted by researchers in five cities nationwide, pharmacies gave a disturbingly high rate of incorrect information out to callers posing as 17 year olds seeking access to the morning after pill, telling them that they could not obtain it based on their age.

The availability of emergency contraception did not differ based on neighborhood income… However, in 19% (n = 138) of calls, the adolescent was told she could not obtain emergency contraception under any circumstance. This misinformation occurred more often (23.7% vs 14.6%) among pharmacies in low-income neighborhoods (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.93; 95% CI, 1.53-2.43). When callers queried the age threshold for over-the-counter access, they were given the correct age less often by pharmacies in low-income neighborhoods (50.0% vs 62.8%; AOR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.45-0.79]). In all but 11 calls, the incorrect age was stated as erroneously too high, potentially restricting access. Adjusting analyses for pharmacy chain as a fixed effect yielded virtually identical results.

The back and forth on teen access to ECP has been confusing, to say the least.  But since 2009, teens age 17 and older have had over the counter access to Plan B.

Pharmacists need to get the rules straight.