Author: Cristina Puig

February 2020. On February 21st, the Council of Ministers of the Belgium Federal Government, approved the Royal Decree that will make emergency contraception (EC) pills free of charge to all women, regardless of age. Until now, EC pills could be provided free of charge to women under 21. In addition, under this new policy, regular…

January 2020. A draft resolution calling for greater access to contraceptives, including emergency contraception, was adopted by the Equality Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last December. The resolution highlights the key role contraception plays for women’s empowerment, and calls on member and observer states to ensure access to contraception…

December 2019. The first Sexual and Reproductive Rights Observatory report was launched on December 10th in Barcelona. The Observatory monitors the exercise of sexual and reproductive rights in Catalonia, in order to promote and protect them. The section on emergency contraception (EC) reports, among others, the case of a 16-year-old women who was denied her…

December 2019. A draft bill proposing a number of measures to make pregnancy termination services less accessible a was introduced in the Parliament at the end of November, by members of the Slovak National Party. During the discussion new amendments were introduced, among which, reinstating mandatory prescription to buy EC pills. The proposed bill was…

December, 2019. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist (RCOG) recommends to reclassify emergency contraception (EC) pills as General Sales List products (so they can be sold straight off the shelf without consultation), as a simple and cost-effective measure to improve women’s access to health care.  This is one of several recommendations made by RCOG in…

October 2019. According to the National Survey on Sexual Health and Contraception among Spanish Youth, promoted by the Spanish Society of Contraception (SEC), 29,7% of young women have ever used emergency contraception (EC) pills. These figures vary when broken down by ages: 14,4% of 16 to 18 years old have ever used EC; 19,9% of…

October 2019. In Spain, LNG EC pills are sold without prescription since 2009, and UPA EC pills since early 2016.  According to the news agency EFE, in this 10-year period, over 7 million units have been sold in the country. According to the General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists of Spain, pharmacists have a…

September 2019. In Malta, a women’s on-line discussion forum called for more sensitivity and clear direction for those wanting to buy emergency contraception (EC) pills from pharmacies. A series of articles published in The Times of Malta picked up the story and opened a discussion about the terms in which women obtain EC pills at the pharmacy,…