Emergency Contraceptive? Yeah right!

c0ldfyr3

This thread is a bit of a rant so if you're not in the mood stop reading now...

I had some obviously naive idea that in this day and age Emergency Contraceptive would be free for anyone who needed it, for no greater reason than to prevent unwanted pregnancies which are statisicaly proven to be detrimental to society as a whole and not just the couple involved.

So yesterday a friend called me in a very distressed state about requiring the emergency contraceptive pill and I set about locating the fastest, cheapest and easiest way of her getting what she needed.

It turns out, first you need an appointment during the day. Second you need to pay 55 euro for a consultation fee and another 5 euro just for the pill... Now I did manage to find a free emergency contraceptive dispenser but it's after hours so I need to wait until the morning to see if she needs to spend the 60 quid or if they might actualy have a humane bone in their body.

It's an absolute disgrace to be honest - the majority of people who need to use it I imagine are underprivelaged and would probably not even bother once they found out the cost. Let alone the cost of an STI Test being 130 friggin euro but many regular people who have the misfortune of requiring the emergency contraceptive pill, in my opinion anyway, should not have to fork out 60 quid to make sure the world is without one more unexpected and unwanted child.

Ok sure there may be drawbacks, such as people relying on it when faced with not having any other contraceptive at hand, but the benefit of it for people who do genuinely need it because of an accident far outweighs that negative in my opinion.

yutta

c0ldfyr3 wrote: »

This thread is a bit of a rant so if you're not in the mood stop reading now...

I had some obviously naive idea that in this day and age Emergency Contraceptive would be free for anyone who needed it, for no greater reason than to prevent unwanted pregnancies which are statisicaly proven to be detrimental to society as a whole and not just the couple involved.

So yesterday a friend called me in a very distressed state about requiring the emergency contraceptive pill and I set about locating the fastest, cheapest and easiest way of her getting what she needed.

It turns out, first you need an appointment during the day. Second you need to pay 55 euro for a consultation fee and another 5 euro just for the pill... Now I did manage to find a free emergency contraceptive dispenser but it's after hours so I need to wait until the morning to see if she needs to spend the 60 quid or if they might actualy have a humane bone in their body.

It's an absolute disgrace to be honest - the majority of people who need to use it I imagine are underprivelaged and would probably not even bother once they found out the cost. Let alone the cost of an STI Test being 130 friggin euro but many regular people who have the misfortune of requiring the emergency contraceptive pill, in my opinion anyway, should not have to fork out 60 quid to make sure the world is without one more unexpected and unwanted child.

Ok sure there may be drawbacks, such as people relying on it when faced with not having any other contraceptive at hand, but the benefit of it for people who do genuinely need it because of an accident far outweighs that negative in my opinion.

Gimme a break. Do you expect the nanny State to be on hand to prevent you from jumping into bed with someone too?

alex73

yutta wrote: »

Gimme a break. Do you expect the nanny State to be on hand to prevent you from jumping into bed with someone too?

Exactly!.... You said it.. Oh.... lets have free doctors on call in every town because the condom broke.. The poster needs a reality pill...

(however if the Girl has been subjected to abuse she should contact rape crisis centres which are free)

How Strange

what??

Talk about abdicating personal responsibility. If your friend really wants to get the emergency contraception then between the two of you surely you can scrape €60.

Also, there are lots of drop in clinics around the city which don't require appointments.

c0ldfyr3

If you actually read the post properly you'd see firstly that the cost isn't a problem in this scenario and that secondly it was a genuine accident where precautions were taken...

How Strange

c0ldfyr3 wrote: »

If you actually read the post properly you'd see firstly that the cost isn't a problem in this scenario and that secondly it was a genuine accident where precautions were taken...

So what are you saying then? I'm totally confused now.

You said in 1st post that regular people shouldn't have to fork out €60 to prevent unwanted pregnancies. So who should pay? Should I, as a tax payer, have to pay gor someone to get the morning after pill.

It doesn't matter whether precautions were taken at the time or not. If it didn't work and she doesn't want to take the risk then she has to go to a doctor. As I said there are plenty of walk in clinics around town where you don't need an appointment.

So if it's not about free emergency contraception then what is your point?

jam_mac_jam

Why would it be free, I can see a lot which should be free before this should.

Blisterman

Well, at the very least, it should be available over the counter, like most countries in Europe.

Besides, it's a hell of a lot cheaper for the government paying for the morning after pill, than for unwanted children.

c0ldfyr3

Blisterman hit the nail on the head.

How Strange wrote:

So who should pay? Should I, as a tax payer, have to pay gor someone to get the morning after pill.

Do you prefer paying child benefit and additional dole to people for 18+ years instead? I'm sorry; I pay about €1,000 per month in tax and I would be happy in the knowledge that some of that was paying for unwanted children before it got to the sage of abortion, that's a big difference IMO.

If the walk in clinics you speak about are those Well Women Centre's then that's incorrect, they require an appointment or at least a 30-60 minute wait.

In many, many other countries not alone is it free but it's actually available over the counter...

mojesius

Blisterman wrote: »

Well, at the very least, it should be available over the counter, like most countries in Europe.

Besides, it's a hell of a lot cheaper for the government paying for the morning after pill, than for unwanted children.

Agreed. Of course there should be a charge for this but I disagree with the rigmarole of having to go to a GP or a clinic and making an appointment to get it. You can buy it straight over the counter in the States for $50. Seems fair enough and the pharmacist tells you about the risks/ instructions/ side effects on the spot. I can't see any need to go to a GP for this, unless you're underage.

yutta

You'll find when you offer free public services, the demand expands to fill the money allocated.

OP: pay up. Nobody likes a free-loader.

If a €60 bill causes you so much hardship, you should really apply for a medical card.

Susie_Q

The Pill can cost as little as 7 euro per month and a pack of condoms is less than a fiver. Combine the two and you won't need to worry about the cost of the morning after pill.