Poll finds no evidence of morning-after pill abuse
Just 3.9 percent of women aged 14-50 resorted to the method during the period of a year
Two years after the government lifted the requirement for a prescription to buy the morning-after pill, data shows that women have not been abusing this emergency contraceptive as some people feared. A survey commissioned by the Spanish Contraception Society (SEC) shows that in one year, only 3.9 percent of women aged 14-50 resorted to the method.
More specifically, 3.48 percent of respondents said they had used the morning-after pill once, while 0.4 used it twice and 0.02 percent three or more times. "The abuse rates are anecdotal," said SEC president Esther de la Viuda, who said the figures are "quite reassuring."
"Women are using the pill sensibly, as they were bound to," added Ezequiel Pérez Campos, president of the Spanish Contraception Foundation.
The survey also showed that 77.7 percent of women who used the pill did so as an emergency measure despite using other contraceptives, mostly prophylactics.
PP promise
In absolute terms, what the figures mean is that around 474,000 women bought over-the-counter morning-after pills in the 12 months before the survey was carried out (between July and September 2010).
The conservative Popular Party has said that if it wins the November 20 general elections, it will make prescriptions necessary again.
Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo
¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?
Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.
FlechaTu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.
Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.
En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.
Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.
