Mass. OK's emergency contraceptives availability without prescription

Drug Store News,  Oct 10, 2005  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts House and Senate last month overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Mitt Romney that makes emergency contraceptives available through the pharmacist without a doctor's prescription.

The state Senate approved the veto override 37-0, and the House approved it 139-16.

Romney, who is decidedly pro-life, originally vetoed the bill based on his campaign promise that he would not seek to change the state's abortion laws.

Once the law is implemented, Massachusetts will become the eighth state that allows pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception either without a doctor's prescription or with a doctor's prescription on file. The other states are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Washington.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning