Emergency contraception is now readily available to women in Albuquerque and experts predict it will significantly lower the number of unintended pregnancies.
A bill that passed in the last legislative session and became law in May allows the New Mexico Pharmaceutical Association to train pharmacists to prescribe the pills without a prescription.
Dale Tinker, executive director of the association, said more than 80 pharmacists have completed the program's three-hour training and are licensed to administer the pills, commonly known as Plan B.
"It's all about accessibility," Tinker said. "There is a need for them and they can go a long way in preventing unintended pregnancies."
He said many people consider the emergency contraception to be a form of abortion, but that is wrong, he said.
The pills, containing high levels of estrogen hormones, prevent pregnancy in multiple ways, he said.
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They do not allow the ovaries to release an egg, they prevent semen from reaching the egg by thickening the mucus inside the woman's uterus and make the uterus inhospitable to implantation of a fertilized egg.
Connie Rossignol, a nurse practitioner at the Student Health Center, said the emergency contraception is meant to be taken within 72 hours of intercourse, but it works best when taken within 12 hours.
When taken appropriately, the contraception lowers a woman's chances of getting pregnant to between 26 and 30 percent. When taken within the first 12 hours, that number is reduced to 12 percent.
She said the emergency contraception is available through a number of different ways at UNM.
There are trained pharmacists at the SHC's Pharmacy and at the Women's Health Services Center.
The New Mexico Pharmaceutical Association's program is also being taught to third year pharmacy students, who, upon graduating, will be licensed to prescribe the pills.
"I think this form of contraception is a wonderful thing," Rossignol said. "We really make every effort to make it as available as possible. If it were up to me, the emergency contraception would be available over the counter."
She said the best thing about the pills is that there a virtually no adverse side effects. Even if a woman were to take the contraception and still get pregnant, research has shown there to be no chance of birth defects.
Despite the success and low risks of the pills, many groups say using them is immoral.
"Whether it was planned or not, once a child has been conceived, it is a miracle," said Jack Greem, a spokesman for Rally For Life, a national pro-life advocacy group. "It is bad news for our society to keep coming up with new ways for people to dodge their moral responsibilities."
Tinker said he realized the importance of emergency contraception after a 1999 Department of Health study that concluded 43 percent of pregnancies in New Mexico are unintentional.
The study also found that 46 percent of babies in the state are born to single mothers.
"No matter how safe and prepared people are, accidents happen and there needs to be a means of solving that problem," Tinker said. "It is our job to make sure this option is ready for them, should they choose it."
