Swiss parliament moves to ease access to emergency contraception

National Council wants to facilitate access to the morning-after pill Keystone-SDA

The Swiss House of Representatives would like to see emergency contraception - commonly referred to as the "morning-after pill" - available without a counselling session. It adopted a motion to this effect on Wednesday.

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Corina Gredig, a parliamentarian from the Liberal Green party, proposed downgrading so-called emergency contraceptives to a lower dispensing category. A majority in the large chamber supported the proposal. It voted in favour of the motion by 113 votes to 73 with 2 abstentions. The motion will now go to the Senate.

Compared to other European countries, access to the morning-after pill is more strictly regulated in Switzerland. It has been available over the counter since 2002. However, pharmacies are obliged to carry out a counselling session and have a form filled out before dispensing the pill.

Gredig criticises this “obligatory discussion about intimate details”, as she said in the House. The existing forms and counselling sessions are a hurdle for women, have a deterrent effect and are often associated with shame. It is not about an ideological question of principle, but about practical access to medication in an emergency situation.

“Every responsible woman should be able to decide freely and without unnecessary barriers whether she wants to take the pill or not,” said Gredig. State paternalism is not appropriate. It should be possible to dispense the morning-after pill in drugstores, for example. Associated risks are manageable.

Government warns against relaxation

Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider intervened on this point: Emergency contraceptives are highly effective medicines that can have significant side effects and interact with numerous other medicines, she said. For reasons of patient safety, it is therefore essential that a consultation is carried out by a medical professional before use.

This is in line with a judgement by the Federal Supreme Court. According to this judgement, a consultation with a pharmacist or doctor is still necessary for the “protection of the user”. In this way, it can be clarified whether and which preparation is suitable for the user. The Federal Supreme Court explained that druggists lack the knowledge for such a consultation.

The counselling session should not be an inhibition threshold, Baume-Schneider continued. It should ensure that the most suitable emergency contraceptive is dispensed. In addition, unlike drugstores, pharmacies also offer an emergency service at weekends and on public holidays, thus guaranteeing an uninterrupted supply of such medication.

Translated from German by AI/jdp

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