NYC Council Supports EC on Several Fronts
In another victory for women in New York City, the City Council’s Health Committee, led by Chair Christine Quinn, voted in favor of two resolutions supporting improved access to Emergency Contraception (EC), which play a vital role in reducing the number of unintended pregnancies. The resolutions will now go before the entire City Council for a vote.
Moving the resolutions out of committee came just days after the City Council’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations, led by Councilmember Eric Gioia, released an updated study on the availability of emergency contraception pills (ECP’s) in New York City pharmacies. A July 2002 investigation found that only 55 percent of all city pharmacies carried at least one brand of EC. Those findings led the City Council to pass Local Law No. 25 in 2003, which required any pharmacy that did not carry EC to post a sign to that effect where all customers could see it.
However, a follow-up report released on February 8, 2004 revealed that one in four NYC pharmacies still do not carry ECP’s, nor have any of them complied with Local Law No. 25. This lack of information prevents women from making timely decisions regarding reproductive choices, and infringes on their ability to have equal access to vital medical care. The report went on to strongly recommend that the law be consistently enforced by the Department of Consumer Affairs, and that the City Council take additional steps to ensure the availability of ECP’s in both large drugstore chains and independently-owned pharmacies.
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On the heels of the report’s release, the Health Committee voted to move two EC Resolutions out of committee. Resolution 92-A, sponsored by Council Member David Yassky, calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve emergency contraception for over-the-counter sale. Studies show that EC could prevent upwards of 1.7 million unintended pregnancies in the United States every year. When taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse, the risk of pregnancy is reduced by as much as 89%.
Currently, EC pills are only available via a physician’s prescription. However, on February 20th, the FDA will decide whether to approve over-the-counter sales of Plan B, one of the two brands of EC available on the market. This proposal has been endorsed by both the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, two of the most highly-respected medical organizations in the nation, in addition to 70 other medical and public health groups. The FDA’s own advisory committees overwhelmingly favored this plan as well. Implementation of the measure by the FDA itself would represent a major victory in protecting a woman’s right to choose.
The Health Committee also supported Resolution 66-A, which strongly urges the New York State Senate to pass S.3339. This state legislation, a version of which (A.888) has already been passed by the State Assembly, would increase ECP availability to all women in New York State. Specifically, the bill would give registered pharmacists and nurses the authority to distribute ECP’s through a general-patient order written by a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or midwife. Five U.S. states have similar laws on the books, as do England, France, and New Zealand. Should the FDA not approve over-the-counter sale, S. 3339 represents a necessary alternative to provide women in New York the medical support they may require in the immediate aftermath of sexual intercourse.
We applaud the efforts of the NYC Council and their continued support of women’s reproductive health and freedoms.
Click here for Editorial on A.888 by Bill Sponsor Amy Paulin
Click here for more information on A.888/S.3339
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