What’s worse than being a victim of one of the 2,688 “reported sexual assaults involving military personnel” in 2007? How about not being able to access emergency contraception following your assault?

Last week, a federal judge required that pharmacies offer emergency contraception over-the-counter to 17-year-olds (previously, it was only available to women 18 and up, with identification). Reproductive Health Reality Check reminds us that there’s still a whole sector of adult women who may not be able to access the morning-after pill: Servicewomen. Writes Nancy Northup:

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Yesterday was “Back Up Your Birth Control Day.” In case you missed it, you still have 72 hours after your non-backed-up-birth-controlled sexual intercourse to participate in the day’s events. “Back Up Your Birth Control Day” was created to “raise awareness about increased access to emergency contraception,” which will soon be available over-the-counter to women 17 and up. For me, Back Up Your Birth Control Day is actually the day after a condom breaks or you miss your daily pill, not March 25 of every year. But it doesn’t hurt to have a Plan B pack on hand just in case—so you don’t have to schlep off to a condescending pharmacist at the exact moment his shaming will be most unbearably offensive.

Photo by nateOne

A judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to allow the sale of emergency contraception—also known as “Plan B” or “The Morning After Pill”—to 17-year-olds. Previously, the emergency pill was offered over-the-counter only to customers aged 18 and older, and only to pharmacies that enforced the age rule by checking IDs.

U.S. District Judge Edward Korman had some harsh words for the Bush-run FDA in laying down his judgment, the Associated Press reports:

Read More “Morning After Pill Now Available to 17-Year-Olds” »

More from the CBS Evening News interviews between Katie Couric and Sarah Palin: When Couric asked Palin if she considers herself a feminist, Palin responded, “I do. A feminist who believes in equal rights. Women today certainly have every opportunity that a man has to succeed.” Palin went on to voice her opposition to abortion in the case of rape and incest. Palin then said that she does support contraception, but not the morning after pill.

I wonder where Palin gets these ideas, seeing that the VP candidate, a journalism major, cannot name a single news source. “I’ve read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media,” said Palin. When asked what newspapers, specifically, she read, Palin responded, “All of them, any of them … we have a vast variety of source where we get our news.”