Morning-after Pill Putting Sex Clinics out of Business?
Posted on | July 16, 2012 by Stefano Gennarini, J.D. |
Watch out Planned Parenthood! This Irish Times article may give you cause for alarm…
The Well Woman Centre, a reproductive health service provider/reproductive rights advocacy group in Ireland is complaining that the availability of the morning-after pill over the counter has reduced the overall number of women who come to their clinics for reproductive services.
Combination reproductive health service providers/reproductive rights advocacy groups like the Well Woman Centre always stand to make a tidy profit. Once they establish the “rights” they seek, they can then start raking their gains in. But perhaps, as the Irish demonstrate, too much advocacy might actually hurt their bottom line…
The Irish reproductive health services provider has reported almost a 50% percent drop in their intake for birth control. While emigration, and other factors may have had an impact, the primary cause of the drop in demand for birth control appears to be a false sense of security from the increased availability of the morning-after pill.
From the article:
Alison Begas, chief executive, said the availability of emergency contraception direct from pharmacies since February 2011, instead of needing a prescription from a doctor, had a big impact on services.
“It’s extremely important – from an affordability and equity point of view – that women are now able to get this very safe medication directly from their community pharmacy,” Ms Begas continued.
“However, as a healthcare provider, Well Woman would like to see a stronger connection between accessing emergency contraception and a programme of holistic sexual healthcare.
“It has been our experience that emergency contraception appointments have acted as a woman’s first route into sexual health services.
“This entry point is effectively no longer there with over-the-counter availability of emergency contraception.”
Well Woman said the amount of women who want contraception has also fallen since the start of the economic crisis.
Tags: morning-after pill > Planned Parenthood > well woman centre