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DENVER - To protest Gov. Bill Owens veto blocking pharmacists from prescribing a so-called "morning after" contraceptive, Planned Parenthood plans to give the drug away Friday free to any woman who asks at clinics across the state.
"Every woman should have it in their medicine cabinets, in case of birth control failure, or worse, sexual assault," Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood of the Rockies, said in a statement.
Opponents of emergency contraception say the drug might prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted in a woman's uterus, which they believe would be tantamount to having an abortion. Under Colorado law, pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg has been implanted. The drug has no effect on a fertilized egg that has already been implanted.
When he vetoed the measure in April, Owens said spreading prescription power beyond doctors and specialized nurses "strays radically from the accepted norms of medicine." Owens' spokesman Dan Hopkins said the governor has also stressed that Plan B is already available through doctors and Planned Parenthood.
Owens last year vetoed a law requiring hospitals to tell sexual assault victims about the availability of emergency contraception. He said that measure would have crossed the line by forcing church-backed institutions to violate their own ethics guidelines and provide emergency contraceptives.
The contraceptive, called Plan B, uses a high dose of the hormones found in birth control pills. It's designed to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's uterus if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and not have any affect once the egg is embedded in the uterus wall. It is not the abortion drug RU-486.
After the previous veto, Planned Parenthood distributed 1,186 Plan B pills free at 24 clinics across the state. The agency expects to give away 1,500 this year.
Kate Horle, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said her agency tries to provide education and reproductive health care to any woman who needs it. But making Plan B available through a pharmacist would go above even what Planned Parenthood can offer by making the drug an option at hundreds of drug stores across the state, many open 24 hours.
"If a woman has unplanned sexual contact late on a Friday night, she may have to wait until Monday to see her doctor," Horle said.
But critics say Planned Parenthood's distribution, especially to minors, could be dangerous. Planned Parenthood says recipients will undergo a "brief screening" and all charts will be reviewed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Colorado allows in some cases for prescriptions without full exams, according to state Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, objected when the federal Food and Drug Administration last year considered making Plan B and over-the-counter medication. She objects to Planned Parenthood's widespread distribution plan as well.
The hormones in birth control pills can react adversely in women with some medical conditions, she said. That's why a doctor has to prescribe them. A 13-year-old girl, for example, may not even know if she has a condition such as diabetes. A simple screening, without a full exam, might not uncover that, she said.
"This is a deeper issue than just how flippantly they're trying to handle it," Wright said. "Parents should know that their minor daughters may be handed a prescription of what can be a very dangerous drug."
The FDA, when it ruled against making Plan B a nonprescription medication, wrote proponents "did not demonstrate that Plan B could be used safely by young adolescent women for emergency contraception without the professional supervision of a licensed practitioner."
"Every woman should have it in their medicine cabinets, in case of birth control failure, or worse, sexual assault," Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood of the Rockies, said in a statement.
Opponents of emergency contraception say the drug might prevent a fertilized egg from being implanted in a woman's uterus, which they believe would be tantamount to having an abortion. Under Colorado law, pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg has been implanted. The drug has no effect on a fertilized egg that has already been implanted.
When he vetoed the measure in April, Owens said spreading prescription power beyond doctors and specialized nurses "strays radically from the accepted norms of medicine." Owens' spokesman Dan Hopkins said the governor has also stressed that Plan B is already available through doctors and Planned Parenthood.
Owens last year vetoed a law requiring hospitals to tell sexual assault victims about the availability of emergency contraception. He said that measure would have crossed the line by forcing church-backed institutions to violate their own ethics guidelines and provide emergency contraceptives.
The contraceptive, called Plan B, uses a high dose of the hormones found in birth control pills. It's designed to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's uterus if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, and not have any affect once the egg is embedded in the uterus wall. It is not the abortion drug RU-486.
After the previous veto, Planned Parenthood distributed 1,186 Plan B pills free at 24 clinics across the state. The agency expects to give away 1,500 this year.
Kate Horle, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said her agency tries to provide education and reproductive health care to any woman who needs it. But making Plan B available through a pharmacist would go above even what Planned Parenthood can offer by making the drug an option at hundreds of drug stores across the state, many open 24 hours.
"If a woman has unplanned sexual contact late on a Friday night, she may have to wait until Monday to see her doctor," Horle said.
But critics say Planned Parenthood's distribution, especially to minors, could be dangerous. Planned Parenthood says recipients will undergo a "brief screening" and all charts will be reviewed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Colorado allows in some cases for prescriptions without full exams, according to state Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, objected when the federal Food and Drug Administration last year considered making Plan B and over-the-counter medication. She objects to Planned Parenthood's widespread distribution plan as well.
The hormones in birth control pills can react adversely in women with some medical conditions, she said. That's why a doctor has to prescribe them. A 13-year-old girl, for example, may not even know if she has a condition such as diabetes. A simple screening, without a full exam, might not uncover that, she said.
"This is a deeper issue than just how flippantly they're trying to handle it," Wright said. "Parents should know that their minor daughters may be handed a prescription of what can be a very dangerous drug."
The FDA, when it ruled against making Plan B a nonprescription medication, wrote proponents "did not demonstrate that Plan B could be used safely by young adolescent women for emergency contraception without the professional supervision of a licensed practitioner."
