In 1996, the year ICEC was founded, only a handful of countries had a "dedicated" Emergency Contraception (EC) product on the market.

Now women in over 140 countries can buy emergency contraception - sometimes known as the morning after pill - and in 60 countries, EC is readily available over the counter.

ICEC and its member organizations have played a key role in introducing EC in a wide range of settings. Still, women's access to EC is far from assured, and our mission remains critical: to expand access to EC worldwide, with a focus on developing countries.

ICEC and CLAE Publication on Legal Defense of EC

ICEC and the Latin American Consortium for Emergency Contraception (CLAE), with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) / LAC Regional Office, published Argumentos para la defensa legal de la anticoncepción de emergencia en América Latina y el Caribe (Arguments for the legal defense of emergency contraception in Latin America and the Caribbean).

The publication aims to provide technical guidance on how to engage in legal processes to protect access to EC. It contains the various arguments that have been used to restrict access to Levonorgestrel EC in different judicial proceedings, and a series of responses to each of those arguments.

To download the document (available in Spanish only), click here.

 

 
EC News
EC Access in the US to Remain "Behind the Counter"
08 December 2011
On December 7th, the United States Food and Drug Administration rejected a request from the manufacturer to make one brand of EC pills, Plan B, available fully over the counter with no prescription required for any age group. Currently, EC is available from pharmacies with no prescription for women 17 and older, but women under 17 must first obtain a prescription from a health care provider. Because of this unusual dual status, EC pills are currently kept behind the counter so that pharmacists may check ID for the buyer's age. For now, this situation will remain the same.

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ICEC and Parnters Launch Guidance on Legal Arguments for EC
28 November 2011
ICEC is hosting a workshop at  the 2nd Latin American Congress on Reproductive Rights, which begins today (November 28th) in Costa Rica. This workshop will launch a document providing guidance on legal arguments in defense of EC access.

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Portuguese version of ICEC/FIGO Mechanism of Action Statement
13 October 2011
ICEC and FIGO have released a Portuguese version of their statement on the Mechanism of Action of Levonorgestrel Emergency Contraception Pills. Please access the statement here. Versions in English, French, Spanish and German are also available here.

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