March 25th is Back Up Your Birth Control Day of Action!

Join advocates across the country in raising awareness of EC and ensuring that every woman can back up her birth control with EC when and if she needs it.

The 2008 Day of Action is dedicated to making EC available to all women regardless of their income, insurance coverage or immigration status. While we celebrate the FDA decision that made EC available over-the-counter to women 18 and older, we know that the high cost of EC over-the counter, usually between $40-70 in pharmacies nationwide, is a continuing barrier to some women accessing EC. Making the situation even worse is the fact that many college health centers and safety-net family planning clinics have had to drastically increase the cost of regular birth control methods because of a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act passed in 2005 that eliminated discounts on birth control for these clinics. This means that the four million college-age women across America – along with low-income women who rely on the 400 safety-net family planning clinics – may need to back up their birth control now more than ever before.

This year’s campaign will focus on:

• Raising awareness of the barrier to EC access posed by the high cost of EC over-the-counter
• Educating women, and teens who can’t access EC OTC, about sources of free and low-cost EC in their communities
• Encouraging and providing resources for advocates who are working for a resolution of the DRA price increase
• Highlighting innovative models that advocates and health departments across the country are implementing to help increase access to affordable EC (including free EC days, websites that help women compare EC prices at their area pharmacies, states covering EC OTC under their Medicaid programs, etc.)

Click below for more information, materials and resources!