More places ought to do this! Keep it up Planned Parenthood, Indiana!
‘Plan B’ pills will be free Tuesday
Planned Parenthood making pill available while supplies last
By Crystal Garcia
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — Planned Parenthood is making it a little easier for women to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Free emergency contraception will be available at the clinic Tuesday while supplies last.
Emergency contraception lowers the risk of pregnancy when taken within 72 and up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse, according to a Planned Parenthood news release. It is also known as “Plan B” or the “Morning After Pill.”
“ … Individuals should not count on it as a primary means of contraception,” said Steve Carr, communications manager for Planned Parenthood of Indiana. “It is a backup.”
Carr said Planned Parenthood encourages women to have a dose in their medicine cabinet in case they miss a dose of their birth control, or if the condom breaks.
He noted that the emergency contraception should not be confused with the abortion pill, RU-486, because it is not effective if a woman already is pregnant.
“It’s not an abortion,” Carr said.
Though Planned Parenthood regularly stocks the emergency contraception, this is the one day of the year that it will be free.
This is the second year for the one-day, free distribution.
“This is just an awareness and educational campaign,” Carr said. “It’s a way for us to ensure everyone is aware of their options when preventing unintended pregnancies.”
Anyone 18 or older can obtain the contraception with proper identification at Planned Parenthood or any other pharmacy without a prescription, Carr said. However, it will be free at Planned Parenthood only on this Tuesday.
About 125,000 women and men are serviced through Planned Parenthood of Indiana each year, according to the news release.
Some of those services include Pap tests for cervical cancer, breast exams and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
Kathi Gemmaka, center manager at the Terre Haute site, said between 2,500 and 3,000 people are serviced in Terre Haute each year.
During last year’s free emergency contraception day, supplies were dispensed at a steady rate throughout the day, she said.
“It went really well last year,” Gemmaka said.
She said common misconceptions from people include the belief that emergency contraception affects an existing pregnancy and that birth control methods other than a condom prevent sexually transmitted diseases or AIDS.
The Terre Haute Planned Parenthood is at 30 S. Third St. It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. For more information, call (812) 238-2636.
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