In a recent study, researchers discovered that one in five pharmacies across the United States misinform teenagers about their right to emergency contraception.
The researchers contacted 943 pharmacies from five major cities, pretending to be 17-year-old girls looking for emergency contraception.
In the United States, 17-year-olds can get emergency contraception without a prescription. Yet one in five of these pharmacies misinformed teens about their access to emergency contraception, some even telling them that they can't get access to it at all. In low-income areas, this was even worse.
This kind of misinformation can result in unwanted pregnancies and a restriction of choice.
Pharmacies must ensure their employees know the rights of teens to access contraception. More importantly, they must enforce the reliable dissemination of that knowledge to teens in need. Please tell pharmacies to stop misleading teens!
Under United States law, 17-year-olds are allowed to get emergency contraception without a prescription.
A recent study showed that one in five United States pharmacies gave out misinformation when it comes to emergency contraception, sometimes telling them they couldn't get it at all.
Emergency contraception helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and for 17-year-old girls, unwanted teen pregnancies.
Please do not misinform teens about emergency contraception.
