Ottawa, Canada, Apr 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The morning-after pill, also known as Plan B, is set to become available across Canada without a doctor’s prescription this month.
The drug, which can cause a fertilized egg from implanting on the uterine wall if taken 72 hours after sexual intercourse, would be available only after consultation with a pharmacist, reported Canwest.
Pharmacists can refuse to dispense the drug for moral reasons or reasons of conscience.
Pro-life advocates point to the abortive qualities of the drug and say teens will come to rely on it as their main source of birth control. They also say selling the pills without a doctor’s prescription would lead to more risky sex and more sexually transmitted infections.
The pill has already been available without a prescription in three provincial jurisdictions—British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan.