Emergency contraception important

No form of contraceptive available provides 100 percent protection. Mistakes happen. Condoms break. Diaphragms slip. Women forget their pill. People have sex when they don't plan to, or want to in some cases. About one quarter of American college women report having been forced to have sex at least once. Even if sexual assault is not the issue, the idea of becoming pregnant can be traumatic.If taken on time, EC can alleviate that distress.

So, what is EC? It stands for Emergency Contraception, and is commonly referred to as the "morning after pill," which is sort of a misnomer, as you can take EC up to 120 hours after unprotected sex. Another common misconception is that EC is an abortion pill. It is not. In fact, it helps to prevent pregnancy, while an entirely different drug, RU-486, terminates an early pregnancy.

EC is actually a higher dosage of the same hormones found in ordinary birth control pills, and in no way affects an already existing pregnancy. You have to take the pill before you become pregnant, so the sooner you take it, the more effective it is. With these facts in mind, it seems that EC would be important for all women to have on hand, or at least readily available, just in case.

Back Up Your Birth control is a nationwide campaign sponsored by the Reproductive Health Technologies Project and a coalition of hundreds of national and local medical organizations and women's health advocates. The goal is to increase awareness, and the availability, of EC.

The Food and Drug Administration is now considering making an EC product over the counter, and currently New York State has legislation pending to make it available through pharmacists. It is not yet that readily obtained, but there are ways to get it, and women need to know their options.

Almost half of all American colleges do not offer EC. Luckily, UB does at the Student Health Center in Michael Hall. It is also available at Planned Parenthood, as well as some private gynecological practices in the Buffalo area. For more information you can go tohttp://www.not-2-late.com for more information on the pill and where to get it.