Some policy makers still don’t understand emergency contraception mechanism of action
December 2020. In Malta, a discussion is being held in Parliament these days, about the need for all pharmacies in the country to carry emergency contraception (EC) pills, in order to ensure timely access to this contraceptive method.
Surprisingly, some members of parliament still consider that EC pills can threaten Maltese law, under which human life is protected from conception.
We thought it would not be necessary to say it one more time (we are almost in 2021), but we will do this again: EC pills work mainly by preventing or delaying ovulation; if ovulation cannot be stopped and fertilisation occurs, EC pills will not interfere with implantation.
If you are going to design a reproductive health public policy, and think you should learn more about EC before, we kindly advice you to read:
- Emergency contraception: questions and answers for decision-makers; International Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ICEC), 2013
- Emergency contraception – Key facts; World Health Organization, 2018
- Mechanism of Action; How do levonorgestrel-only emergency contraceptive pills (LNG ECPs) prevent pregnancy? International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics (FIGO) and ICEC, 2012.
- EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS – Medical and Service Delivery Guidance; ICEC & FIGO, 2018.
