by Helen Catt and Lou Newton, BBC
Women across England will be able to get the morning-after pill for free from pharmacies from later this year, the government has said.
Emergency contraception is already free of charge from most GPs and sexual health clinics.
But ministers say getting it in pharmacies is a “postcode lottery” – with some councils funding free prescriptions, while elsewhere women can pay up to £30.
It is hoped the move will free up GP appointments and reduce the inequalities faced by women trying to access the medication in disadvantaged communities.
Emergency contraception, external is medication designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies. It usually has to be taken within 3 to 5 days of having unprotected sex but the sooner it is taken, the more effective it is.
Making the morning-after pill available through the NHS at pharmacies will end the “unfair” barriers some women face when needing to access it, according to the government.