In December of 2016, I took a coach to Paris and back to buy the morning after pill. It cost me just as much as it would have done if I’d bought it at my local Superdrug, Tesco or Boots. The total – about £35 – was indicative of a sexist surcharge put upon women who’ve been forced to handle the contraceptive side of sex themselves. To put it into perspective, progestogen-based emergency contraception can cost up to five times more in the UK than elsewhere in Europe.
It is sometimes possible to get it for free at your GP or a sexual health clinic, but depends on a consultation – and you’re not guaranteed the response you want. Plus, to be seen in either of those you’d likely have to take time off work, and that’s if you manage to get an appointment within the window you need for the pill to be effective.
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Since I went to Paris, Superdrug and Tesco have both changed the price of their emergency contraception. Tesco now charges £13.50 for Levonelle, Superdrug £13.49 for a generic version. This is a considerable cut – about half.
However, one company refusing to budge is Boots, which still charges £28.25 for Levonelle emergency contraceptive and £26.75 for its own generic version.
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The Women’s Equality Party has today joined forces with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) to challenge Boots on its refusal to change the price, which – according to correspondence with BPAS – is based on the fact that “it fears criticism from those who oppose women using emergency contraception”.
Boots’ fear is presumably that the criticism will drive away profit – but why would pro-lifers or conservative customers avoid Boots when it’s simply following the crowd? It could actually end up having the opposite effect; many women for whom cost is an issue will now just take their business to Superdrug or Tesco, when they could also be going to Boots. Either way, it’s an incredibly bad look for Boots.
Speaking to VICE, Katherine O’Brien, Head of Media at BPAS, said: “Boots say they won’t reduce the price of emergency contraception because they are concerned about complaints and accusations that they would be ‘incentivising inappropriate use’. The idea that a leading high-street pharmacy would base their policies on the views of a tiny minority who do not believe women should be able to control their fertility is simply ludicrous. It’s also difficult to believe that in 2017 anyone would think that lowering the cost of emergency contraception would encourage women to use it ‘inappropriately’.”
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This is one classic argument against allowing women proper access to emergency contraception, and based on actually rather unpleasant suspicion, not proper facts. “Women in France seem perfectly capable of ‘appropriate’ use, despite having access to EC for seven euros,” says O’Brien. “Why are UK women any different? We don’t need Boots saving us from ourselves.”
“Women should be able to access emergency contraception without being ripped off,” said Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party in a press release sent out yesterday. “We know that emergency contraception can be difficult to access for free on the NHS, with appointments at GP surgeries or family planning clinics hard to obtain. Many women will need to buy these pills over the counter, and it is irresponsible and exploitative for retailers to charge over the odds for them. This lack of consistency in the provision of women’s contraception threatens to undermine our reproductive rights, and Boots’ approach to this concern is indicative of a society that prioritises profit over women’s health and wellbeing.”
O’Brien added that the response from Superdrug and Tesco was positive and down to BPAS’ initial campaign and media coverage from outlets like VICE. “[As] it became clear that women in the UK were being completely ripped-off, big pharmacies have had to rethink their position,” she said. “Some, like Superdrug and Tesco, have decided to do the right thing by women, and should be applauded. It’s profoundly disappointing that Boots has chosen not to follow their lead.”
After approaching Boots for comment, their Chief Pharmacist, Marc Donovan, confirmed to VICE that they had passed on their views to BPAS. In his statement, the focus is not on the price of the morning after pill, but the need for a consultation (after which you can acquire the pill for free in the “vast majority” of their branches): “This consultation helps support customers in their choice by examining an individual’s full medical history and any potential drug interactions,” he said. “The consultation also helps the pharmacist offer important sexual healthcare advice to women and helps us prevent emergency contraception from being misused or overused.”
Donovan added: “We are extremely disappointed by the focus BPAS have taken in this instance.”
More on the morning after pill:
Why Everyone Should Care That the Morning After Pill Isn’t Free
