‘Designed to shame women’: Australian pharmacies urged to scrap forms for emergency contraception

Elizabeth* says a pharmacy in Perth refused to sell her over-the-counter emergency contraception unless she filled out a form, even when she pointed out it was not a requirement. Photograph: Frances Andrijich/The Guardian

Standing in a suburban pharmacy, Sophie* didn’t know why she felt ashamed to be filling out a form in order to access a legal, over-the-counter medication.

“Sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re being judged or not when you go and access emergency contraception,” Sophie says.