The Plan B emergency contraceptive – often referred to as the “morning-after pill” – was approved for over-the-counter use in August and will soon be available without a prescription at the Wilce Student Health Center.

Plan B is the brand name for levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone also used in oral contraceptives.

Higher doses of the hormone are used in the two pills that comprise Plan B. The pills are most effective when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

While controversy has surrounded the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill since its initial FDA approval in 1999, “There’s no controversy here,” said Dr. Roger Miller, assistant director of clinical services for Student Health Services.

Various forms of both prescription and non-prescription contraception are available at the health center pharmacy.

“We feel it is a part of routine care,” Miller said.

He cited the recommendations of various public health agencies in promoting the use of emergency contraceptives. He even suggested seeing a doctor as a precautionary measure to have a prescription on hand if the need ever arises in the future.

In the past, anti-abortion advocates have protested the use of Plan B. Many people tend to confuse Plan B with RU-486 and other drugs commonly known as the abortion pill, Miller said.

Plan B prevents implantation of an embryo and is not considered an abortion, he said.

The health center offers counseling and referrals but does not actually offer any type of abortion service.

The storm of debate surrounding Plan B is partly a result of the refusal of some pharmacists in Ohio and throughout the country to provide the drug to customers, even if they had a prescription from a doctor.

“Pharmacists may choose not to dispense a drug due to their conscience or religious convictions,” said Dr. Robert Buerki, a professor in the Ohio State College of Pharmacy who teaches a course in professional ethics. “But they have an ethical responsibility to make sure the patient receives that drug from another source, either within their pharmacy or from another pharmacy.”

Although the student health center respects its employees’ rights to express any religious or moral belief, it must have enough people who are willing and able to provide these services to students, he said.

Stirring up even more debate was the FDA’s decision in August to make Plan B available without a prescription to adults 18 and older.

According to the FDA, anyone under the age of 18 still needs a prescription when purchasing Plan B. Although this emergency contraceptive is now considered to be over-the-counter, customers will need to provide proper identification with proof of age to a pharmacist before they can obtain the pills.

As for here on campus: “We have not seen the new packaging for Plan B that allows it to be sold over-the-counter,” Miller said.

He said that they will carry it eventually, however. In the meantime, students should have no problem seeing a doctor for a prescription and obtaining Plan B at the health center.

“Plan B requests are processed as an acute visit, so if the student is available to be seen that day, then we will see them,” Miller said.

An important issue for many students is the cost of the medication. Plan B is covered by the OSU Student Health Insurance Plan, Miller said.

If students go through the pharmacy at the health center, they will be responsible for a $10 co-pay.

Unfortunately, insurance will no longer cover the medication when it is over-the-counter. Without insurance, the medication costs a little more than $30, he said.

At the heart of all of this is that students be aware of all of the options available to them.

“Emergency contraceptives are much safer than an abortion procedure and much safer than a full-term pregnancy,” he said.