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ROME. They conventionally call it the “morning after pill”. It’s ulipistral acetate (EllaOne), a drug used for emergency contraception for up to five days after intercourse. From now on, it will no longer be necessary to have a medical prescription to dispense it even to minors as established by the Italian Medicines Agency. “It is – explains the general director of AIFA, Nicola Magrini – a highly effective tool for emergency contraception for young women who have had unprotected sex, within five days of sexual intercourse, and it is also, in my opinion, warning, an ethical tool since it allows to avoid critical moments that are usually only for girls ”.
At the time of purchase at the pharmacy, the delivery of the pill will be accompanied by an information sheet with the aim of promoting an informed choice and avoiding the inappropriate use of emergency contraception. “I want to emphasize – says Magrini – that it is an emergency contraceptive and not a drug that must be used regularly”.
The morning-after pill has been on the World Health Organization’s essential drugs list since 2017 as part of the contraceptive drug access programs. «And teenage pregnancies – concludes Magrini – are an important indicator of the development of a company. It must be kept to a minimum level. ‘
The scope of the decision, of course, does not escape the AIFA and the Ministry of Health. But the time has come to extend the possibility of buying the morning-after pill freely to minors as well.
“This is a turning point for the protection of the physical and psychological health of adolescents.” In fact, cold statistics say that most teenage pregnancies’ are unplanned and many end in abortion. The event of birth in adolescence, then, is usually accompanied by risk situations, linked both to the difficulty of the young mother in accessing maternal and child services, and to a series of problems of considerable importance at an interpersonal and psychological level ”.
Unsurprisingly, the Forum of Catholic Families is extremely opposed. “Superficial and irresponsible, this authorization is a humiliation for women,” says Vice President Emma Ciccarelli. “This is not freedom: it puts women again, especially in a phase as delicate as adolescence, a responsibility of this magnitude. The freedom of access to this drug for minors is equivalent to putting a dangerous object in their hands and then washing their hands, promoting lack of responsibility, trivializing sexuality and abdicating the educational task of adults ”.
“We welcome the news – comments the Luca Coscioni association, from the radical scope – but it is only a first step. Access to emergency contraception is severely hampered by economic and cultural barriers ”. Their ultimate goal remains free contraception.
