Posted on: Monday, December 20, 2004

EDITORIAL
Morning-after pill freed from red tape

Finally, a law passed by the 2003 state Legislature to make the "morning-after" birth control pill available through pharmacists without a prescription is poised to be implemented.

After more than a year of hearings and consultations, Gov. Linda Lingle has approved administrative rules governing pharmacies that will dispense the contraceptive.

We're not entirely sure what took so long, but we're glad that women who have been sexually assaulted will not have to jump through hoops to end an unwanted pregnancy.

Broadened access to the pill, we hope, will contribute to a reduction in unwanted pregnancies. Of course, it will be effective only if information about the emergency contraception and how to obtain it is made widely available.

The pill has been available here since 1998 through doctors' offices. But time is of the essence when it comes to preventing a pregnancy following unprotected intercourse. Pharmacies can dispense the emergency contraception evenings and weekends, times it may be needed most. The morning-after pill blocks the release and fertilization of an egg if taken within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.

The hope is that unwed teenagers who oppose abortion will take advantage of this form of contraception, but not use it casually.

That doesn't mean it is sanctioned by Catholics (some have dubbed it the mourning-after pill).

We would posit that the morning-after pill is eminently preferable to abortion. Medical experts have deemed it safe and effective, and have come out in support of over-the-counter sales.

With comprehensive sex education, there's no reason why teenagers should favor the morning-after pill over, abstinence condoms and other methods of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

The morning-after pill is just one more weapon in our arsenal.