Emergency contraception and medical abortion are options, but education about them is vital
Prevention is better than cure — especially in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Australia’s teenage pregnancy rates (17.3 per 1000 women in 2003)1 and abortion rates (19.7 per 1000 women in 2008)2 are high compared with other Western countries. Such rates are not inevitable, and recent contraceptive strategies were developed to help in reducing them.
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The authors received a small amount of funding from Bayer-Schering Pharma and Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia to assist the conduct of their study of the ECP, but declare no editorial interference with the study. Safeera Hussainy is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Expert Review Committee.