Taipei: Emergency contraceptive pills will continue to require a doctor's prescription for the time being, according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Thursday. This decision follows a multi-stakeholder meeting that failed to reach a consensus on whether to reclassify the drug as an over-the-counter medication.
According to Focus Taiwan, the TFDA had invited representatives from the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Department of Gender Equality of the Executive Yuan, civil society groups, the pharmaceutical industry, and other stakeholders to discuss the potential relaxation of rules concerning the "morning-after pill." However, opinions were divided on whether to allow the purchase of emergency contraception at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription, which is currently a requirement.
Pharmacist Li Yi-hsuan from the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations expressed support for deregulation, highlighting the World Health Organization's recommendation to make emergency contraception available as a backup when regular contraception fails. Li noted that "80 percent of developed countries," such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, have already reclassified emergency contraceptive pills as over-the-counter medications.
The Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, a civil society group, also argued that emergency contraceptive pills are not high-risk medications and that greater availability would protect women from the risk of forced or unexpected pregnancy, thereby safeguarding their bodily and reproductive autonomy.
Conversely, opposition to the proposal was voiced by Huang Jian-pei, Secretary General of the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Huang cautioned that emergency contraceptive medicines could lead to problems if used without understanding the risks, citing a case where a woman misinterpreted vaginal bleeding as her menstrual period, which resulted in her death from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy after taking emergency contraception.
TFDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan explained that the discussion involved considerations of social science, natural science, and human rights, emphasizing that "there is no zero-risk decision." The issue of reclassifying emergency contraception had first been raised by the TFDA in 2016 but was shelved due to social backlash.
Recently, Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker Lin Yi-chun called for emergency contraceptives to be reclassified as over-the-counter medications at Taiwan's Legislative Yuan. Lin referenced an online survey indicating that 65 percent of Taiwanese women supported making it available without a prescription. In response, Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai stated that he had requested Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan to work with the medical community to reach a consensus on the matter as soon as possible.