A Disgraceful Anniversary Celebration
Did you know Aug. 24 marked the 1-year anniversary since the FDA allowed Plan B®, a brand of emergency contraception (EC) sold in the United States, to be sold over-the-counter without a prescription to women 18 and older? While that’s certainly something to celebrate, here in Colorado, we may have to fight just to make sure Plan B can still be used in Colorado. Why? Anti-abortion advocates recently proposed a ballot initiative for 2008 that would change the Colorado constitution to define person to include “any human being from the moment of fertilization” and extend all fertilized eggs certain rights, including the right to life. If this initiative passes in 2008, any form of birth control that works in part by making the uterine wall inhospitable to fertilized eggs could be said to interfere with a fertilized egg’s right to life. That could make it illegal to use Plan B – as well as the most effective forms of birth control, like the pill, the patch, NuvaRing, Implanon, Depo-Provera, and IUDs. Here at NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, we’re using the one-year anniversary of Plan B becoming more accessible to women to educate Coloradans about the continued threat – not only to Plan B, but to birth control in general. But we’re also marking this milestone in women’s health by continuing to spread the word about EC:
- This year, Gov. Ritter signed into law Senate Bill 60, which requires facilities that treat sexual assault survivors to provide information about the availability and use of EC, which can prevent pregnancy if taken within daysof unprotected sex. With his signature in March, Gov. Ritter committed to helping assault survivors reclaim control over their own bodies.
- Back up your birth control: If you don’t already have EC in your medicine cabinet, check out our Emergency Contraception (EC) Resource Handbook – available in Spanish and English – to find out where you can pick up Plan B. This directory provides a list of health care clinics and pharmacies where Coloradans can go to get EC.
Thanks for your commitment to reproductive freedom in Colorado! For choice, Kathryn Wittneben
Executive Director
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