An Over-The-Counter Morning-After Pill For The U.S.?

Federal health officials are debating if it’s time to put emergency contraception — also called the morning-after pill — on pharmacy shelves right next to the aspirin, available without a prescription.

Contraception advocates are pushing hard for no restrictions. They say easy over-the-counter access could spur wider use of emergency contraception, in turn preventing up to 1.7 million unplanned pregnancies each year and hundreds of thousands of abortions.

“Emergency contraception is extremely safe. It needs to be on the shelf beside aspirin,” says Dr. Vanessa Cullins of Planned Parenthood.