By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. I've been hearing a lot of ads about emergency contraception on the radio. One ad has two girls talking about things they can carry in their purses, including emergency contraceptives. I thought that you got a prescription for them after the fact — you know, in an "emergency." Can you get pills before you need them, just in case?

A. It sounds like you're referring to a federally financed public service announcement sponsored by the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Council. If so, the message is correct. You can purchase an advance emergency contraceptive prescription to have on hand in case you have unprotected intercourse or your birth control fails, said Karen Mak, manager of the family planning program for the state Health Department.

A law that went into effect in July allows pharmacists to dispense the emergency contraceptives without a prescription, but it will be at least another six months until the participating pharmacists will be trained and ready, Mak said. In the meantime, anyone needing emergency contraception should visit a doctor, clinic or nurse practitioner for a prescription, she said.

The pills are ordinary birth control pills taken in high doses three days after unprotected sex. They do not terminate a pregnancy, Mak said.

For more information, call 1-888-NOT2LATE or visit ec.princeton.edu.

Q. There used to be a mirror opposite my boyfriend's South Kalaheo Avenue driveway that made entry and exit from his home safe, but the city took it down. He's asked the neighbors across the street if they'd allow him to put up a mirror on their property, but they won't talk to him. I feel like we take our lives in our hands every time we go in and out of that driveway. Isn't there any public safety interest here that overrides the minor inconvenience to his neighbor in putting up a mirror or to the city in putting it on a utility pole?

A. Chances are you won't be permitted to put it on a utility pole, so your best bet is to continue trying to communicate with your neighbors.

Since posting a mirror on your neighbor's wall is a civil issue, a city spokeswoman said the city won't get involved and referred such questions to Hawaiian Electric Co.

HECO spokesman Jose Dizon said the poles across the street may not belong exclusively to the company and noted that the city regulates items attached to the poles. He also said a mirror could interfere with a maintenance workers' ability to climb up and down the pole.

Do you ever get frustrated or confused trying to navigate the various layers of government? Are you looking for an answer to a simple question but can't figure out where to start? If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways:

• e-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

• Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message.

Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number.