Doubts Cast Over Effectiveness of “Morning-After” Pill

The ‘morning-after’ pill, which is most effective if consumed within the first 72 hours of sex, was made available over the counter in the UK five years ago. However, making this emergency contraceptive widely available over the years, has failed to reduce abortion rates.

A report in the British Medical Journal highlighted 10 studies which showed that, despite the wider availability of the ‘morning-after’ pill with chemists, doctors and sexual health clinics over the past five years, the number of abortions had continued to rise.

The report carried a survey of pregnancy rates in Lothian among 13 to 19-year-olds which showed they had increased from 1365 in 2002-03 to 1450 in 2003-04. UK figures show that abortion rates have gone up from 11 per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 in 1984, to 17.8 per 1000 in 2004.

Anna Glasier, director of family planning and well woman services at Lothian Primary Care National Health Service Trust, in Edinburgh, Scotland said, "Despite the clear increase in the use of emergency contraception, abortion rates have not fallen in the UK,” and that it was important to see emergency contraception as a "back-up" and not a method to reduce unintended pregnancy rates.

"While emergency contraception sometimes prevents pregnancy for individual women who have had unprotected sex or whose contraceptive method has let them down, such as a burst condom, there is a growing body of evidence which suggests that increasing use of emergency contraception does not have any effect on the rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion.", said Anna Glasier

She elaborated, "It's a useful method for individual women, but as a public health measure it is not going to make a big difference to abortion rates. We have to have much more enthusiasm for methods which women use before they have sex."

Research suggests that women did not always use the contraceptive at the right moments because they were unaware they had put themselves at risk and as a result it had no impact on pregnancy or abortion rates.

Opponents of the "morning-after" pill allege that over-the-counter sales would lead to an increase in teen promiscuity. It may also encourage risky sexual behaviour and fuel the explosion in sexually transmitted infections among young people.

It all boils down to the fact that emergency contraception is no substitute for correct, regular use of contraceptives. It is and was never intended to be, a panacea for abortion.