skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Morning-After Pill May Be Hard to Find in MO Despite Court Ruling

play audio
Play

Tuesday, April 9, 2013   

ST. LOUIS - Missouri women may have trouble finding the morning-after pill, despite the fact that a federal judge has ordered it to be made more widely available. The pill had been banned for purchase by anyone under 17, but even though a federal judge last week lifted the age restriction, the Missouri Senate passed a bill allowing pharmacists to refuse to stock it, and the Missouri Pharmacy Association supports the legislation.

According to Paula Gianino with Planned Parenthood, that would be especially unfair to teenagers who have been victimized by crimes such as date rape.

"She feels she can't even come to her parents because she's so afraid, so much in shock, and - for some girls - so ashamed," Gianino characterized possible reactions. "Is it better for us to take the position of not making these safe and effective contraceptive methods available?", she asked.

The pharmacists' trade group says it wants protections for those who are morally against selling the pill and those who feel they don't have a market for it. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics say young teenagers should have access to it, because it is safe and it prevents pregnancy, which in young teens, can actually be more risky than the pill.

Gynecologists say many people are misinformed about the science of emergency contraceptives. Gianino agrees.

"It already is a problem in Missouri," she said, and declared, "It is contraception, as labeled by the Food and Drug Administration. It is not abortion."

Gianino, who is president, Planned Parenthood St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, pointed out that the morning-after pill works by preventing pregnancy. The company that produces Plan B recommends that it be taken within three days of unprotected sex. Researchers say that if a woman is already pregnant, the pill will have no effect on the pregnancy or the developing fetus.

More information is at ec.princeton.edu.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021