News

May 2021. Findings from ECEC’s and You Act’s participatory survey on emergency contraception access through community pharmacies in Europe, were presented on a poster at the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESCRH) virtual seminar held on May 7 and 8, 2021. We thank the ESCRH colleagues for this opportunity to share our work.

May 2021. According to a report from One.com in Malta, emergency contraception pills could only be bought in one of the five pharmacies visited on a recent Saturday afternoon. The report takes a look at EC accessibility in Malta five years after it was first registered and commercialised in the country, and the role conscientious…

April 2021. According to news on Raitre, for over 20 years and until 2016, the Vatican invested in companies that produce emergency contraception pills. The Vatican doctrine defends life from the moment of conception. Emergency contraception pills (popularly known as “the morning-after pill”) do not interfere with life after conception. Emergency contraception pills inhibit ovulation:…

April 202. According to UNFPA’s 2021 State of World Population report, published on April 14, nearly half of women in 57 low income countries are denied the right to decide whether to have sex with their partners, use contraception or seek health care. This is the first time a United Nations report focuses on bodily autonomy: the…

February 2021. The Radio Télévision Suisse program 15 Minutes, looks at the Swiss model of emergency contraception dispensation through pharmacies, in which consultation is mandatory and paid for by the client. Journalist Coraline Pauchard looks at the pros and cons of this model, in a report that you can listen here (in French).    

February 2021. The World Health Organization just added two chapters to its Family Planning Handbook. One of them addresses contraception delivery during an epidemic. These are some of the recommendations: Providers should ensure that individuals make voluntary and informed choices, and that privacy and confidentiality are respected. Multiple doses of emergency contraceptive pills can be provided. Many…

January, 2021. Scientists at University of Utah Health found that hormonal intra uterine devices (IUDs) were comparable to copper IUDs for use as emergency contraceptives. According to the researchers, the finding would support adding hormonal IUDs to current emergency contraception options. Read more here.

January 2021. New brands of ulipristal acetate emergency contraception pills are becoming available in some European countries; as of January 2021 these can be found in Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. Visit the Country by country section of our website for more details on specific brands…

December 2020.  In Malta, a discussion is being held in Parliament these days, about the need for all pharmacies in the country to carry emergency contraception (EC) pills, in order to ensure timely access to this contraceptive method. Surprisingly, some members of parliament still consider that EC pills can threaten Maltese law, under which human…