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To the Editor: 

This letter is in response to the recent policy change allowing trained pharmacists to distribute Emergency Contraception, also known as E.C. or the “morning-after” pill, without a prescription to women who have had unprotected sex within 72 hours.  

I want to commend local papers for publishing articles about this new policy, and to urge further publication and discussion on this issue.  

Unfortunately, most people do not know about this policy, and think that they need to go to their medical provider in order to obtain Emergency Contraception.  

As a volunteer member of The Women’s Community Clinic (WCC) in San Francisco, which is the only free women’s health clinic in San Francisco, I have spoken with many women who were unable to get Emergency Contraception within 72 hours of unprotected sex.  

The WCC offers evening and occasional Saturday hours, times when most other clinics are closed,  

in order to meet the needs of women who work during the day. At the WCC, whenever women call for information about Emergency Contraception, we inform them of their option to either come to the clinic or to go to any Walgreen’s, where many pharmacists are already trained to give out EC.  

Hopefully, this topic will receive more press in the media, and we can spread the word throughout our community so that women have the information they need to make health decisions. Lets all make a concerted effort to inform our friends, acquaintances and peers about this new policy!  

Shelly Makleff 

Berkeley