The morning-after pill will now be available free of charge at pharmacies across the UK.
The decision has been welcomed by students as they praise the decision as “a significant step towards supporting girls safety and health.”
The ruling, made on 29 October, aims to improve access to emergency contraception and reduce unplanned pregnancies.
This ensures that all individuals, regardless of financial situation, can take control of their bodies.
From this week, the pill, also known as ‘Plan B’ can be obtained directly from almost 10,000 participating pharmacies without needing a GP appointment or paying up to £35, as was previously the case.
The change has been introduced by the Department of Health and Social Care in partnership with NHS England, following years of campaigning by women’s health organisations.
UK Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has publicly stated that the new policy is one of the “biggest changes to sexual health services since the 1960’s” and a “game- changer in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women.”
The morning-after pill can prevent pregnancy if taken within three to five days after unprotected sex, depending on the type.
It has long been available for free through sexual health clinics and some GP surgeries, but campaigners have argued that pharmacy charges deterred many people, particularly young women and those on low incomes, from seeking it when needed.
Students at Bournemouth University shared how they believed this would make a positive change “that’s really good. I think the cost put people off before, so this will make it a lot easier for people to get access to contraception.”
Another student commented that it will “encourage girls who don’t feel as confident going to an appointment to protect themselves.”
However, the feedback has not all been positive as some critics have raised concerns that the change could encourage reliance on emergency contraception rather than regular birth control such as the pill, condoms and the coil.
The UK joins a growing list of European nations, including France and Spain, that have made the morning after pill freely available in recent years.
This step pushes the UK’s sexual health services to become more widely available to all citizens acting as more inclusive protection from unwanted pregnancy.
Students, however, believe that more changes should be made to make reproductive health products more accessible “period products should definitely be next, they need to be free,” they emphasised.
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