Advocacy Project: Letter and Fact Sheet

December 5, 2010

Amy Klobuchar

U.S. Senate

302 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

VOTE YES ON H.R. 5561: EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION EDUCATION ACT OF 2010

The proposed bill on educating others' about emergency contraception use is very important. Emergency contraception would significantly lower the rates of teen or unwanted pregnancies. Instead of aborting the baby or having to go through the adoption process, ovulation would never occur. As a soon to be health educator I feel every person should know there are options out there if an accident were to ever happen. The use of this pill would help lower the cost of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies.

This act would provide education to people who are interested in knowing more about emergency contraception. Educating others' on this would help lower pregnancy rates, abortion, and adoption processes. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), "Nealy half (49%) of the more than 6 million pregnancies that occur each year are unplanned". Also, the effectiveness for emergency contraception can be as high as to 89 percent (ACOG 2010). Mistakes and accidents happen so lets inform people there are options out there to help.

Opponents of this bill may say emergency contraception is abortion or parents/guardians may feel it will be an incentive for kids to be sexually active. Kids will do whatever they want to do. Parents and guardians need to face the reality that they cannot be there for every part of their children's lives so we need to have another plan, like education. If we are able to educate kids or people in general, they will know they have this option and can choose for themselves whether to use it or not. Also, emergency contraception is not abortion. It stops ovulation so the sperm and egg do not meet. With the use of education, we can reach out to many people and provide them with resources to meet their needs.

I appreciate your support on health care, education, and family and children. Family planning is very important in all three of these groups. I hope you realize how important this is for people out there and vote "yes" to H.R. 5561. If I could provide you with any other information, please contact me.

Alicia

Emergency Contraception Use

Fact Sheet

What is Emergency Contraception?

Emergency contraception, also called the morning-after pill, is a pill that prevents pregnancy after unprotected sex. It can be started up to five days after intercourse.

When should you use emergency contraception?

• condom broke or slipped off, and he ejaculated in you
• you forgot to take your birth control, you are not on birth control, or birth control was ineffective (e.g. ring fell out, diaphragm slipped out of place)
• miscalculated your "safe" days"
• you were forced to have unprotected sex or were raped

How does emergency contraception work?

Emergency contraception is made of progestin, one of the hormones found in birth control pills. The hormone in the morning-after pill keeps the ovaries from releasing an egg so sperm and the egg never meet. This pill also thickens the cervical mucus, which blocks the sperm and egg from joining.

How effective is emergency contraception?

There are many different brands of emergency contraception. Some of the more popular brands are Plan B One-Step, Ella, and Next Choice. These brands reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent when started within three days of unprotected intercourse. This is effective up until five days after intercourse but gets less effective as time goes on.

How safe is emergency contraception?

The morning-after pill is safe. It does not have the same risks as taking ongoing birth control because this is made for a one-time use.

What are the disadvantages of emergency contraception?

There can be side effects while using the morning-after pill. Nausea and throwing up are the most common side effects. However, many women feel fine after taking it. Other side effects of the morning-after pill may include:

• breast tenderness
• irregular bleeding
• dizziness
• period may become irregular (come earlier or later, last longer or shorter)

Where can you get emergency contraception?

Emergency contraception is available from drugstores, clinics, or outlook clinics. Women and men older than 17 do not need a prescription. If you are younger than 17 you will need to go to a health center like a clinic to get a prescription. Places like Planned Parenthood or outlook clinics are a convenient and fast way to receive the morning-after pill. They are also able to bill most insurance companies if you do not have sufficient funds to pay for it.

Information provided by Planned Parenthood