OKLAHOMA CITY – Despite pressure from above and below, proponents for universal over-the-counter access to Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, at Indian Health Services’ facilities are not yet seeing any substantive changes.
A September survey of 63 IHS pharmacies in the Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Aberdeen, S.D., and Bemidiji, Minn., service areas by the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center showed that almost half carried Plan B, but did not have it available over-the-counter, despite the Food and Drug Administration eliminating the prescription requirement in 2006 for women younger than 18.
Among the pharmacies surveyed, only four had a version of the emergency contraception available as a true over the counter medication, not requiring a doctor’s appointment or prescription. Forty-three percent did not carry any form of emergency contraception, despite the fact that one out of every three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime.
Earlier this year, the center published a report on the availability of Plan B at IHS facilities that gained international attention and launched an online petition through change.org that has received more than 110,000 signatures.
“I’ve heard women ask for information about emergency contraceptives so they can talk to their daughters about what to do when they are sexually assaulted, not if they are sexually assaulted,” said Charon Asetoyer, founder and executive director of the NAWHRC wrote.
Citing the rates of sexual assault, teen pregnancy and health insurance coverage in Indian Country, the National Congress of American Indians passed a resolution at its mid-year conference in June, calling on IHS to provide over-the-counter access to Plan B for women who are 17 years old or older at all of its service units.
“There was not one argument (at NCAI) about the resolution,” Cherokee Nation citizen Pamela Kingfisher said. “I’m not sure if that would have been the case five years ago. All the male leaders who stood up in support were just appalled at the statistics and repeated the need for action.”
The National Organization for Women also passed a similar resolution of support earlier this year.
Kingfisher said her group is working with IHS officials to make Plan B available, but the progress has been slow.
“We keep hearing ‘It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s rolled out,’ and then we talk to pharmacists,” Kingfisher said. “Communication between the service units and headquarters is simply broken.”
In an effort to maintain pressure at the grassroots, the center hosted a roundtable discussion Sept. 26 in Oklahoma City with women from the Native communities. In addition to discussing plans to continue their forward progress, the group plotted out the September survey results on an Oklahoma map, with different clinic service areas shaded different colors, depending on the Plan B access available. One of the four survey respondents that provided over-the-counter access – the clinic in Pawhuska, Okla. – is in the Oklahoma City service area.
“IHS is our primary health care provider and they need to step up and take care of women,” Kingfisher said. “The statistics are simply appalling.”
Similar discussions will be held in South Dakota and New Mexico during October.
