Women in chance sex encounters can receive the morning-after pill by courier from next week

  • Morning after pill can be ordered online and delivered to an address in London within two hours for £20

By
Jenny Hope

10:34 EST, 16 April 2012

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17:23 EST, 16 April 2012

Women will soon be able to have the morning-after pill delivered by courier to their office.

A ‘pill-by-bike’ emergency contraception service is being launched in London to save women from visiting their GP or waiting for the post to arrive.

This is the first time the morning-after pill will be delivered to the door like a business contract, with the service prompted by customer demand.

Anyone wanting the morning after pill service would have to give their date of birth during registration and need a credit card

Anyone wanting the morning after pill service would have to give their date of birth during registration and need a credit card

Women will be asked to fill out a form online and confirm they are 18 or over. The form is assessed by a doctor, with the pill delivered up to two hours later on a normal working day, although it may be possible to order online overnight and book a time for delivery the next day.

The service costs £20 and is being offered by online medical practice DrEd.com, which says the pill comes in ‘discreet packaging’. Critics claim the service may encourage underage sex by making the morning-after pill easier to access.

They said girls could easily lie about their age to access the pill and it should remain a prescription-only drug.

Amit Khutti, co-founder and managing director of DrEd.com, said it was taking steps to ensure the morning-after pill did not fall into the hands of underage girls.

Anyone wanting the service would have to give their date of birth during registration and need a credit card.

He said: ‘I don’t think this service is going to appeal to minors or encourage underage sex. For a start, you need to pay for the service and if you’re young there are a number of places you can already get the morning after pill for free.

‘You also need a credit card to order our service, which is another barrier, and you’ll have to personally sign for delivery.

‘It will arrive at the office in discreet packaging so women won’t be embarrassed. Socially, some people are still put off by having to answer questions face to face about why they need emergency contraception.’ Mr Khutti added: ‘People get all sorts of things delivered to work these days because it’s more convenient than staying in at home.’

He said women would be able to book for delivery within two hours Monday to Friday, or register out of hours for a delivery the next day.

A courier service for the morning after pill will soon be available in London

A courier service for the morning after pill will soon be available in London

The courier service will begin in London this month through Shutl, which usually delivers for Argos, Oasis and Maplin electronics. It will be extended to other cities if successful, along with other services such as treatment for sexually transmitted infections and erectile dysfunction.

DrEd.com, which is registered with the Care Quality Commission, the patient safety watchdog, works with pharmacy chain Day Lewis to dispense medication.

Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust said the morning-after pill should stay under the control of doctors.

He added: ‘There is also a danger the service could be used by the abusers of underage girls.

‘The faceless nature of the service makes it all too easy for them to register on the site giving a false name and medical history and then to order the morning-after pill on behalf of their victim in an attempt to conceal their crime.’

Mr Wells said international research had shown that making the morning-after pill ‘more readily available has not succeeded in reducing unintended pregnancy and abortion rates.

‘Instead, young people in particular have been lulled into a false sense of security, take a more casual attitude to sex, and become exposed to an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.’

Pharmacies already offer the morning-after pill over the counter for around £25. In 2010/11 about 120,000 – equal to 2,300 a week – were prescribed.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service has an online service where women can request emergency contraception and stock up in advance. They speak to a nurse by phone before it is delivered free of charge to their home.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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The comments below have not been moderated.

Don’t people have to take any real responsibility for their behaviour anymore??? “Don’t worry dear do whatever you like, we’ll sort it out for you.” No wonder so many people are a mess these days.

They’re lucky they’re not in the States. There are places here where the pharmacists will not only refuse to give them the morning-after pill but scold them and even threaten to call the cops if they dare sound off.
Beam me up, Scotty!

“There is also a danger that the service could be used by the abusers of underage girls. The faceless nature of the service makes it all too easy for them to register on the site giving a false name and medical history and then to order the morning-after pill on behalf of their victim in an attempt to conceal their crime.” ********** A valid point, but still infinitely preferable to abused girls becoming pregnant to their attackers.
Also, I’ve never understood why it’s usually the same people who are anti-abortion who make a fuss about contraception and emergency contraception. Bettter contraceptive options = less abortions – it’s hardly rocket science.

Meanwhile in Honduras…

the morning after pill is against childrens rights
that fertilised egg has the potential to become a baby and people just want to get rid of it like that

I’d like to see free web order condoms – before I went on the pill, condoms were very expensive at the shop and embarassing or I had I go into the sex clinic to get free ones – even more embarassing! Condoms are safe and help prevent stds and should be encouraged more for younger girls than the morning after pill.

Sometimes people get drunk and don’t think, sometimes condoms do split, sometimes you get ill and vomit and makes you worry that your daily pill might not be effective, sometimes people do get forced in to sex when they weren’t (obviously) expecting to be…. there are loads of situations where the morning after pill could be required and to those of you saying ‘shouldn’t get the morning after pill as you shouldn’t have had unprotected/pre marital/unexpected sex’…. bit of bolting the door after the horse has gone.

Good. I’m sick of supporting the feckless through the tax system, the sooner child benefit is abolished the better.

” Hi, I’ll take half dozen eggs, pint of milk, loaf of bread, oh, and a morning after pill “

mike, ivybridge, 16/04/2012 07:53 PM
You know that most animals have sex to reproduce right? So what you’re saying is totally contradicting.

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