EC and Birth Control Access Program
The Prevention First Colorado research program has completed two large scale surveys on the accessibility and availability of emergency contraception and various methods of birth control for women in Colorado.
2005 Emergency Contraception Study
The 2005 round of research concentrated solely on access to emergency contraception. This was before the 2006 FDA decision to provide it to women aged 18 and older without a prescription and before the more recent 2009 decision to include women aged 17 in that category.
2008 Survey Results Summary
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation (NPCCF) surveyed pharmacies and health care providers in the state of Colorado to determine the level of access women have to various types of contraceptives, including emergency contraception (EC). Through the survey NPCCF found concerning statistics about contraceptive availability and accessibility in Colorado such as the fact that 22.3% of clinics do not prescribe or provide contraceptives, and that 39.6% of clinics do not provide access to emergency contraception. The Foundation was also able to determine two large issues facing women in Colorado: rural access to contraceptives and the use of Medicaid to obtain contraceptives. Many women in rural areas of Colorado do not have a clinic or pharmacy where they can access birth control or emergency contraception. Women on Medicaid face a unique barrier of needing a prescription to access emergency contraception, reducing the likelihood that they will receive the medication within the 72 hours it is effective. The study preformed by NPCCF provides direction and focus for the state of Colorado to work on increasing access and availability to contraception for women that deserve the opportunity to make educated decisions about reproductive health care. Click the link below for the report!
2008 Accessing Contraceptives in Colorado Report P1st EC & BC Report.pdf