When actress Christie Hayes penned a fired-up piece for Mamamia about her husband being denied the morning-after pill, it proved incredibly divisive with readers. Some said it would be dangerous for pharmacists to distribute emergency contraception via a third party, while others insisted women not receiving it was worse.
Heather Maltman is one of the latter.
During a discussion about the issue on Studio 10 this morning, the 2015 Bachelor contestant spoke about her own traumatic experience; one she says still “massively” affects her to this day.
The 29-year-old said she once had an encounter with a former partner that meant she required the morning-after pill but, busy with work the following day, she asked him to purchase it for her.
“He actually couldn’t pick it up; they said no to him. And because of it I took it too late, and I actually ended up having a miscarriage,” she said.
“So when I read [Hayes’ piece] it absolutely blew my mind.”
Emergency contraception is most effective when taken within 12 hours of intercourse, as it delays ovulation and can prevent a fertilised egg from implanting in the uterine lining. It’s not an abortion, it’s entirely legal and doesn’t require a prescription, yet a third party in unable to purchase it on a woman’s behalf.
As Hayes wrote for Mamamia, “So, let me get this straight: we drill into men that it’s their job to be as responsible as a woman when it comes to safe sex. For instance, to always carry and use a condom in order to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
“Yet when it comes to being responsible AFTER sex, the blame lies solely with a woman?”
Maltman agrees that the policy needs to be amended.
“There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to go and do that for me. It was such a bad judgement call,” she said, adding her partner could have relayed any of the pharmacist’s questions to her.
Heather on The Bachelor. Image: Channel 10.
Instead, when Maltman did ultimately make it into the chemist 48 hours later, she says was forced to explain to the pharmacist why she hadn't been able to obtain the pill sooner.
"It made me feel like the worst person in the world," she said. "It made me feel like a total [whore], you know. It was awful."
Studio 10 co-host Sarah Harris, expressed her shock and sympathy for Maltman's experience, and said: "People who receive that over the counter shouldn't feel like that in any way whatsoever. You're being responsible for your body," she said.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you."
"Yeah, it was awful," said Maltman. "They really need to change it. I'm with [Hayes] all the way."
READ: "Christie Hayes needed the morning-after pill. The pharmacist's response left her outraged."
Top Comments
This is just a general comment so the wider public understands.
S3 medications are known as Pharmacist Only medications. It's a group of medications that can only be handed out at the discretion of the Pharmacist. There are many medications in this category including Ventolin, some sleeping tablets, some migraine tables, Epipens, thrush treatment, the ECP, codeine containing pain medications, pseudoephedrine containing products, medications for Conjunctivitis, some steroid creams, some medications for reflux, some antihistamines and medications for angina attacks among others.
S3 medications are medications that should be accessible enough so that people can use them without seeing a doctor (thereby alleviating pressure of doctors for minor ailments and reducing the Medicare burden). However, some are still potentially dangerous, some are easily misused and some require a lot of counselling to support their use.
The Pharmacist is liable for S3 medication (but ofcourse doctors prescribe these too).It is our responsibility to ensure they're safely used. We want you to have medication you need, but we need to address the red tape first and we do this by asking questions, in the same way a doctor will take a history from you. A Pharmacist may refuse the sale of an S3 medication but they should have sufficient grounds to do so. If a Pharmacist cannot ascertain safety they will not hand it out. That's fair. In the same way a doctor could refuse to prescribe you a particular medication. A doctor would never prescribe the ECP without talking to the patient first, neither will we.
Pharmacists study for 5 years full time. This includes 4 years of full time study and one year of full time employment plus two board exams. Entry into the degree is competitive because not many universities offer it. This degree is incredibly challenging. In addition we must continue to gain continuing professional development points. Many Pharmacists have done additional degrees and study to complement their practice (I myself have 2, plus a post grad cert, and am doing my doctorate). Many of us are also trained in first aid, administering certain vaccines, and to do paid thorough medication reviews at the request of a doctor.
We're medication experts. There are thousands of drugs in a Pharmacy and we know them like the back of our hands. We're trained to identify and recommend medications for minor ailments. We also identify dozens of prescription errors or issues daily. We're a safety net.
Like any profession, there are great Pharmacists and there are some Pharmacists who may not be fulfilling their job role to the same standard. In the same way there are great doctors and maybe not so great ones. These Pharmacists should be identified, given an opportunity to explain themselves and dealt with accordingly. This is why we have a Pharmacy Board.
Ultimately, you can trust us and take advantage of our medication knowledge. Ask us questions, were completely free to see.
Just to make it clear while this can be effective up to five days after sex it really depends on your cycle. It works by delaying ovulation so to bad if you ovulate the day you have sex it will not work.
Just to be clear at least 1-2 days per cycle this will not work.
Hence why they ask when your period was as if you really don't want to get pregnant you can get an IUD inserted which is 99% effective.
The new morning after pill is more effective but again not 100%.
Forwarned people - if your ovulating it doesn't work.