Interim Staff

British Columbia pharmacies will now offer Plan B “emergency contraception,” the so-called “morning-after pill,” without a prescription and without a mandatory informed consent sheet. The abortifacient drug, used to prevent conception or end early-stage pregnancy, can cause the death of an unborn human being in the first days of life by preventing him from implanting in his mother’s womb.

The pill has been moved from a Schedule IV designation – requiring a prescription from a doctor or trained pharmacist and an informed consent sheet – to Schedule II, which means it is available over the counter, but kept within eyesight of the pharmacist to allow for minimal instruction in safe usage.

Strangely, the new regulations apply only to Plan B brand emergency contraception, with competing brands still requiring a prescription and an informed consent sheet.

Those truly concerned with women’s health point to the health risks of unrestricted access to MAPs, including increased risk of potentially fatal ectopic pregnancies. Pro-lifers are worried that women are not given sufficient information about the drug, including its abortifacient nature. Canadian Physicians for Life has stated that, “Physical and clinical examinations by a physician are essential to good healthcare: to counsel patients on how to reliably avoid pregnancy, to determine sexually transmitted diseases and abusive or coercive relationships and to discuss health risks.” Physicians for Life says these issues are best dealt with in the privacy of the family doctor’s office than at the pharmacy counter.

Since 2000, pharmacists, not only doctors, have been permitted to prescribe the morning-after pill to women. The changes will eliminate the need for a prescription.

In 2005, Health Canada approved the sale of Plan B directly from pharmacies across Canada after B.C., Quebec and Saskatchewan permitted over-the-counter sales of the drug.