Tomorrow evening, I look forward to joining other WU students for training to become an EC Advocate. “A what?” people keep asking me. When I tell them that I’m going to be an advocate for emergency contraception on campus, most people still don’t know what I’m talking about. Some people may know of EC as the “morning-after” pill, but very few actually know what it does or why they might need to know about it.

Do you know anyone who might ever have had unprotected sex? You might or you might not, but the truth is, it happens on this campus. And in the case that it does, knowing about EC can be incredibly useful. Basically, emergency contraception is a high dose of birth control pills, and if taken within 96 hours (5 days) of unprotected sex, it can greatly reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy. The sooner that it is taken after unprotected sex, the more effective it is. While emergency contraception is not as reliable as other forms of contraception and isn’t meant to be used as a substitute for other methods, it is a very effective backup – for example, in the case that the condom breaks.

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Al Glass, the director of Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS), and the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, emergency contraception has become more accessible at Washington University. Last year, students looking to get EC at SHCS had to pay $35; now the cost is $8, with no additional charge for the visit to SHCS. In addition, the new EC Advocates program will help inform students about the process of obtaining EC and increase awareness about it on campus. Students who aren’t comfortable going into SHCS with questions about EC can simply call one of the trained student advocates, who can discuss the option with them. The EC Advocates are also willing to accompany students to SHCS if they would like us to.

This is a huge improvement from last year, and hopefully, it will mean that students will know about EC and be able to use it if necessary.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. All too often, EC falls victim to politics. Many pharmacies refuse to fill prescriptions for it and some emergency rooms will not offer it to rape victims. Anti-choice organizations have lobbied vigilantly to restrict access to EC; most recently, the FDA decided to refuse over-the-counter access to EC, despite its advisory committee’s 23-4 vote in favor of granting this access.

Keep in mind that EC is not the same thing as Mifeprex or RU-486, which can actually be used for medical abortions during early pregnancy. EC works the same way that regular birth control works, by delaying or inhibiting ovulation, inhibiting fertilization or preventing implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus. EC will not work if a woman is already pregnant.

The issue goes much further than just abortion. The major opposition to EC comes from the same organizations who argue that abstinence-only education is a better alternative to medically accurate sex education or access to contraception for the sexually active. Their ideology ignores the reality of public health findings. Data continues to show that abstinence-only programs actually increase the likelihood that adolescents will have unprotected sex at the time of first intercourse. And there is no evidence that providing information about safer sex or making available important resources like EC encourages greater sexual activity; it simply helps individuals who choose to become sexually active protect themselves from STDs and prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Good science apparently isn’t enough to stand up to this rigid ideology, as political controversy currently hinders access to emergency contraception at the expense of women’s health. But it’s encouraging to know that, on this campus, students’ health comes first. Kudos to the University for choosing health care and science over politics and ideology.

For more information on EC, visit www.backupyourbirthcontrol.org.

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