Canada to allow prescription-free "morning after" pill

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2004

OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada moved to make the "morning after" birth control pill available without prescription country-wide.

The pill prevents pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, and Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew said the government move would provide timely help to women facing an emergency.

A public consultation period about the government changes to regulations will be held before the pills go on sale over the counter.

The "morning after" pill, technically known as levonorgestrel, is already available prescription-free in Canadian provinces British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec, and across parts of Europe.

But the Canadian move comes just 10 days after the US Food and Drug Administration refused to approve...