Emergency contraception (EC) has been proven safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a means of preventing unintended pregnancy.  Yet because emergency contraception is not included on the formulary of drugs available to U.S. servicewomen, they may not easily be able to obtain it when they need it.  The military urgently needs to make proactive efforts to prevent unintended pregnancy among women in the military.  Currently, women who have volunteered to serve their country, and female military dependents, cannot obtain abortion care at Department of Defense facilities except in very limited circumstances.     

The Compassionate Care for Servicewomen Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Michaud (H.R.2064) and in the Senate by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Evan Bayh (S.1800), would remedy this problem.  The legislation simply adds Plan B® to the military's "basic core formulary," the list of medications stocked at each military health-care facility.

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