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June 21, 2006
American women going to Canada for Plan B?
Sales of emergency contraception (Plan B) in Canada have doubled
since last year when the drug was made available over the counter. And
it’s looking like American women may be a driving force behind the sales spike.
Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. , Plan B's Canadian manufacturer , sold 23,000 pills to retail pharmacies in January 2005. Now, 41,000 pills are sold by Canadian pharmacies each month, according to figures released yesterday by DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions , a company that sells drugs through its website....Judith Soo, a University of British Columbia assistant professor who is conducting an economic evaluation of emergency contraceptive use, said...“In Canada, women do not require a Plan B prescription from a physician to obtain treatment. It can be obtained directly upon request from a trained pharmacist...As many states border on Canadian provinces, it is likely that women obtain Plan B treatments by crossing the border or through Internet pharmacies. It is not possible to quantify this number.”
Women in the Southern states are also going to Mexico to get EC. Thanks, FDA. Way to make preventing unwanted pregnancies and abortion so easy.
Posted by Jessica at June 21, 2006 9:39 AM
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Comments
Well, what are these women are supposed to do? The FDA was slow about passing a law that would make EC's over the counter. Then states are passing ridiculous laws that would allow a pharmacist to deny a woman her pills just because of their own personal beliefs?
I'd say, more power to those women who are going to Canada and Mexico.
Posted by: MeiPassion at June 21, 2006 2:56 PM
There is no reason whatsoever for this to be happening. If anything, this should be sending a loud and clear message to those who wish to deny access to Plan B that laws will do nothing to stop women from using it.
However, I do fear very much for those who cannot afford to leave, or are in particularly vulnerable positions which could otherwise make them unable to obtain this medicine.
Posted by: Malafides Lucius at June 21, 2006 8:49 PM