In early 2010, I was 21 years old and finishing up my last year of college. I was not on birth control (for fear of having an adverse reaction to the side effects as other women in my family have had), but my boyfriend (now husband) and I were using a combination of condoms and the rhythm method to keep from getting pregnant. After one of our condoms broke, I went to the local pharmacy for emergency contraception, Plan B. The answer the pharmacist gave me was “We don’t carry that stuff here.” I went home and hoped for the best. Thankfully a week or so later my period arrived, for which I was grateful.

Several months later while I was preparing to take the GRE and applying for grad school, we had another condom break. I went to a bigger pharmacy in hopes that I would be able to get emergency contraception with no issues. I went to the counter to ask for Plan B emergency contraception. The pharmacist asked for my ID, then made a comment about how I was so young and should be making better decisions. It made me feel ashamed and upset me greatly. I paid for the pill and took it. Thankfully again, I did not have to deal with an unwanted pregnancy.

I went to grad school and have a good job working in my field, something that I would not have been able to do if I had a baby in 2010.

After these experiences, I talked to my doctor and went on a low-estrogen birth control, which kept me from having a lot of the side effects I was worried about. I am glad I do not need to worry about emergency contraception anymore. I went to grad school and have a good job working in my field, something that I would not have been able to do if I had a baby in 2010. I am glad that now emergency contraception is available over the counter and does not require dealing with a pharmacist to get it.