oth groups of women used other contracptive methods" (kkf.org 3). Therefore, emergency contraceptive pills if made available over the counter would not affect the rate at which women used regular birth control or how often they engaged in sexual activity. These arguments recently met me head on. Over Christmas break, I wake up one Saturday morning to the phone ringing. A groggy hello greets my frantic friend on the other end of the line. Without asking what is wrong, I tell her I will be right over. An hour later I have learned that the night before she had slept with the guy she was dating. Explaining the previous night she told me she had drank too much and had failed to use protection. She was not on birth control and worried about the possibility of getting pregnant, something she was not interested in dealing with at the time. We went over the options. We had heard about the morning after pill. With no idea how to get the pill, I tell her to call her physician. This makes her nervous, understanding that her doctor is supposed to have a confindentialy with her, what if he tells her parents. After much debate she calls, afterall where else are we supposed to turn. The phone rings, and is picked up only by an answering service. Her doctor is not in the office on the weekends. We make a quick calculation. Incident happened Friday night, if the pill needs to be taken within seventy-two hours we need to hurry. She is afraid that the pill will not be effective if it is not taken immediately. We are extremely uneducated about the morning after pill. My friend is starting to get panicky, where is she supposed to get a prescription. Finally I call a women's clinic. I explain to the receptionist the situation. We are instructed to come to the clinic. The drive to the clinic is spent consoling my friend, she is afraid that she will be judged and treated in a demeaning way. She tells me repeatedly that she has never engaged in behavior this wre...
