Indian women waiting on IHS emergency contraception policy

Friday, October 26, 2012  

The Indian Health Service is still working on a policy for emergency contraception, the Associated Press reports.

In May, the IHS said it would allow facilities to dispense Plan B directly to patients. The policy would enable Indian women to receive emergency contraception in a more timely manner.

“If you set up too many hoops to jump through and too much time to wait, there’s a tendency of women to not go after the service at all and just hope that ‘I don’t get pregnant.’ Those barriers are real,” pharmacist Don Downing told the AP.

A spokesperson for the IHS wouldn't comment on the pending policy.

Get the Story:
IHS facilities offer patchwork of options for Native women seeking emergency contraception (AP 10/24)