A district health board in New Zealand has found that providing emergency contraception to women under the age of 25 year olds, free of charge, has lead to a decline in the number of women having abortions.
Palmerston North, which is located on the North Island of New Zealand, has reported a decrease in the number of women having abortions after introducing the free emergency contraceptives for women twenty0five and younger. In a recent report that included the last 18 months, the number of abortions being performed in the area has dropped by 7.5%.
“The cost kept a lot of young women from purchasing the emergency contraceptive pill. Therefore, leading to more abortions GPs say that the free service saves them time. Health advisors say that the measure is also saving money, as the cost of terminations is far higher than that of emergency contraception.” The emergency morning after pills including Levonelle works up to 72 hours after sex. A newer pill ellaOne can work up to 5 days after sex.
Source: http://www.euroclinix.net/health-news/emergency-contraception/
The information provided on Contracept.org is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information is solely for informational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. We encourage all visitors to see a licensed physician or nutritionist if they have any concerns regarding health issues related to diet, personal image and any other topics discussed on this site. Neither the owners or employees of Contracept.org nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
![By Matthew Bowden www.digitallyrefreshing.com (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/103942) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.contracept.org/files/images/256px-Antibabypille_0.thumbnail.jpg "By Matthew Bowden www.digitallyrefreshing.com (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/103942) [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons")
![By BetteDavisEyes at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.contracept.org/files/images/256px-Ortho_tricyclen.thumbnail.jpg "By BetteDavisEyes at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons")