Author: Cristina Puig

A new training module on emergency contraceptive pills is now available, in two adaptations: For clinical health care providers: www.fptraining.org/projects/emergency-contraceptive-pills-ecp For pharmacists: www.fptraining.org/projects/emergency-contraceptive-pills-ecps-training-pharmacists These modules are part of the Training Resource Package for Family Planning (TRP), a comprehensive set of materials designed to support up-to-date training on family planning and reproductive health. The TRP contains…

In early July 2015, the U.N. Human Rights Council, the principal body at the U.N. that promotes and protects human rights for all, reaffirmed its commitment to women’s and girl’s human rights by passing a key resolution to end violence against women and eradicate child, early, and forced marriage. The resolution, which was adopted without a…

In July 2015, the Portuguese Society of Contraception released Recomendações sobre Contraceção de Emergência, a guide for emergency contraception provision. The recommendations are based on WHO guidelines as well as ECEC’s guidelines. The guide will officially be presented at the Society’s annual meeting in September 2015. The Society is already working closely with pharmacists to…

In 2008, a pharmacy in Seville, (in the southern Spain’s Andalusia region) was fined for refusing to sell emergency contraceptive pills (EC). The pharmacy challenged this, however, and the case was brought up to the Constitutional Court. In July 2015 this Court found that the pharmacist’s right to “ideological freedom” was violated by the sanction,…

In January 2015, the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (Bundesapothekerkammer, or BAK) issued Rezeptfreie Abgabe von Notfallkontrazeptiva („Pille danach“), a tool to guide pharmacists when providing emergency contraception without prescription. This tool includes recommendations for action, documents for consultation and  a curricula, which can be accessed here (available in German, only). Since April 2015…

The Spanish Society of Contraception (SEC) just launched the Spanish edition of emergency contrantraception: A guideline for service provision in Europe, published by ECEC in December 2013. Anticoncepción de Urgencia. Guía para la provisión de servicios en Europa, can be downloaded from the SEC´s website, here. ECEC thanks the SEC for this collaboration and for their efforts…

States have obligations to bring their laws and regulations that affect sexual health into alignment with human rights laws and standards. Drawing from a review of public health evidence and research into human rights law, the report Sexual health, human rights and the law shows how states can support sexual health through mechanisms that are consistent…

In January 2015 the European Commission issued an implementing decision, amending the marketing authorisation granted in 2009 for UPA ECPs. Sine then, the decision has started to be implemented. In most European Union countries the decision is being followed and UPA ECPs are available directly in the pharmacies or will be very soon. At the…

Over a 140 participants from 19 countries, representing governments, parliaments, civil society, young people and academia, gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria in May 27-29, 2015,  to participate in the Regional Conference “Promoting Health and Rights, Reducing Inequalities: Towards Better Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia”. Participants in the Conference, conveyed by…

May 28 is the International Day of Action for Women’s Health. The European Consortium for Emergency Contraception supports the May 28 campaign and its call on governments worldwide to respect, protect, and fulfill women’s right to health, dignity, and bodily integrity and to end violence against women in all its forms. Please visit the campaign website and sign…

The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) has decreed, as of April 21, 2015, that UPA EC will now be available without a prescription in Italy for women who are 18 years of age or older. AIFA has also announced that women will not need to take a pregnancy test before being able to access UPA EC….

On March 24, 2015, the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN) launched a new Barometer of Women’s Access to Modern Contraceptive Choice in 16 EU Countries (Extended). This report analyses how easily women in 16 EU countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain,…