Letters: Emergency contraception, over the counter

Re “New policy urged on Plan B for teens,” Nov. 26

As a physician and former high school teacher, I agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of giving teens advance prescriptions for emergency contraception.

I’ve had too many adolescent patients with unplanned pregnancies who were unaware that emergency contraception might have been an option. I’ve seen what an unintended pregnancy can do to a young person’s health and future. We doctors owe our patients a chance to take emergency contraception, an extremely safe medication that can change their lives.

But we must do more than provide advance prescriptions. We must lift the age restriction on emergency contraception. This medically baseless rule forces the contraceptive behind the pharmacy counter, whose limited schedule can hinder teens with prescriptions and adults who can buy the medication without a prescription.

Let’s move emergency contraception to the open shelves, making it more accessible to everyone who needs it.

Caron R. Kim, MD

Los Angeles

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