UK poll highlights fears about access to emergency contraception

Doctors say survey shows need for morning-after pill to be available at corner shops, petrol stations and supermarkets

Almost half of the UK population believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while nearly two-thirds think they would struggle after 10pm, according to a survey.

The research, carried out by YouGov, found that only 7% of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday.

The data, released by the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, was based on a representative sample of 2,115 people from across the UK.

The college is calling for oral emergency contraception to be reclassified under the general sales list, which would allow it to be sold directly from shops, much like paracetamol, antihistamine tablets and antiseptic creams.

Emergency contraception, commonly known as “the morning-after pill”, is available at high street pharmacies, sexual health clinics, GP surgeries and NHS walk-in centres. But it is not stocked alongside over-the-counter medicines at corner shops, petrol stations and supermarkets.

People living in the south-west of England, Northern Ireland or Wales most commonly thought emergency contraception would be difficult to access on a Sunday, while those in the south-west or east of England were most likely to believe it would hard to find at night.

Londoners were the most likely to think access to emergency contraception would be possible on a Sunday, or after 10pm.

The survey also found that 61% backed wider retail availability, rising to 75% among 18- to 34-year-olds.

Dr Zara Haider, the president of the college, said making the “safe and effective” medicine more readily available in shops, like condoms and pregnancy tests, would be “a simple fix”.

She added: “Women shouldn’t have to navigate unnecessary hurdles to get emergency contraception, particularly when time matters. Yet these findings show that a significant number of people are worried they won’t be able to get it when they need it.

“The decision to prevent an unintended pregnancy is a basic human right and should not depend on the day of the week, the time of day, your postcode or whether the local pharmacy happens to be open.”

The proposal to reclassify emergency oral contraception is supported by a coalition of women’s health charities and medical colleges, including the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, MSI Reproductive Choices and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

The College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare has said that any rollout should not replace existing pathways to access free oral emergency contraception, and that detailed printed or digital information should also be provided to everyone buying oral emergency contraception, regardless of the location.

It has said this information should include appropriateness of use and drug interactions, as well as details of alternative methods of emergency contraception, and signposting to online testing for sexually transmitted infection and to reproductive health services.

However, the college argues, allowing the medicine to be bought directly from retail outlets would better reflect modern healthcare needs, as well as help to ensure people can obtain treatment promptly after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure.

Haider said stocking the drugs in retail outlets “would give women greater control over their reproductive health” adding that the idea “crucially, has the backing of the majority of the public”.