What is EC?
Emergency Contraception – or EC for short – is a back-up method of birth control.
  • EC, also known as “the morning after pill,” is a safe and effective way to help prevent pregnancy AFTER unprotected sex or birth control failure.
  • EC is a higher dosage of the same hormones found in birth control pills.
  • EC, when used within 5 days of unprotected sex, can significantly reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy. The sooner you take EC, the more effective it is, so don't wait!
  • EC is NOT the same thing as Mifeprex or RU-486. EC will not terminate an existing pregnancy. EC will not work if a woman is already pregnant, but will not cause birth defects if a woman takes it when she is already pregnant.
  • Women and men 18 years old and over can now buy Plan B over the counter at a pharmacy without a prescription. Teens 17 years old and under still need to get a prescription from a doctor or other healthcare provider in order to buy Plan B at the pharmacy.

For more on EC, check out the Fact Sheet on Emergency Contraception and Plan B [PDF, 33K] [Printable HTML], prepared by the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign, a coalition uniting hundreds of national and local medical organizations and women’s health advocacy groups to promote EC awareness.

Need EC? Click here!

You can also get on-line info about EC from some of the campaign co-sponsors:

Medical organization fact sheets: Advocacy group fact sheets:


The Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign unites more than 100 national and local medical organizations and women’s health advocacy groups to increase awareness of and improve access to emergency contraception. This campaign is coordinated by the National Institute for Reproductive Health, the national research, education and training arm of NARAL Pro-Choice New York.