Editing Emergency contraception (section)

===United States===
After ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' and ''[[Doe v. Bolton]]'' resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling to legalize abortion, both Federal and State laws were created to allow medical professionals and institutions the right to deny [[reproductive health]] services without financial, professional, or legal penalty. ''Roe v. Wade'' caused a historical survey to be conducted and concluded that [[right to privacy]] cases such as ''[[Griswold v. Connecticut]]'' allowed women to have parental control over childrearing, including the use of contraception for reproductive autonomy. After this, women became more informed about contraceptives and began requesting them more often.

Almost all 50 states have implemented policies on [[Sterilization (medicine)|sterilization]], [[contraceptives]], and abortion services.<ref name=":02"/> Since the late 1990s, due to rights given by specific policies, the dispensation of emergency contraceptives on issues of religious and moral objections of providing care has extended from doctors, nurses, and hospitals to pharmacies and individual pharmacists. Furthermore, many states have insurance policies that cover contraceptives alongside all other prescription drugs, but may have exemptions for employers or private insurers on religious grounds.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/refusing-provide-health-services|title=Refusing to Provide Health Services|date=14 March 2016}}</ref> Different state legislatures have taken different routes in broadening access to emergency contraceptives.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/emergency-contraception|title=Emergency Contraception|date=14 March 2016}}</ref> In some states, if a woman has been sexually assaulted, it is mandatory to provide her access to EC. In other states, women have been allowed various amounts of access, including the ability to access EC without a prescription from a physician, creation of policies limiting the ability of pharmacists to deny EC on religious and moral grounds, and creation of policies discouraging pharmacists from denying to fill contraceptive prescriptions.<ref name=":12" /> One state even requires all pharmacies to stock and fill every method of contraception.<ref name=":12" /> However, other states have restricted access of emergency contraception from state [[Medicaid]] family planning eligibility expansions or contraceptive coverage mandates, or by allowing the refusal of providing contraceptive services by healthcare professionals.<ref name=":12"/>

Under federal law, a provision of the [[Affordable Care Act]] of 2010 has guaranteed coverage of contraceptives, applying to most private health plans nationwide. The provision has also specifically required coverage for 18 methods of contraception used by women, related counselling and services, and requires the coverage provided not to be an out-of-pocket cost to the people.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/insurance-coverage-contraceptives|title=Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives|date=2016-03-14|website=Guttmacher Institute|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> In October 2017, however, the Trump administration made it easier for employers that offer health care plans to exclude contraceptive coverage.<ref name=":2" /> The two regulations that allow employers to reject contraceptive coverage are religious and moral objection, but the courts have blocked the enforcement of these regulations.<ref name=":2" /> As of today, 29 states require that if insurance covers prescription drugs, it has to provide FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices. 10 states prohibit the restriction and delay by insurers or medical management techniques to access contraceptives, and 8 states do not permit refusal on religious or moral grounds by any employers or insurerers. However, 21 states do allow the refusal to comply with the contraceptive coverage mandates, and 14 states prohibit cost sharing for contraceptives.<ref name=":2" />

Emergency contraceptives are the most common prescription drug denied by a pharmacist due to their religious or moral beliefs. There have been cases where hormones, drugs and devices used to treat human immunodeficiency virus and diabetic medication have also been denied. This topic continues to be fought upon on different levels; for example, [[Stormans, Inc. v. Wiesman|Stormans, Inc v Wiesman]] challenged Washington state regulations on providing all lawfully prescribed pharmaceuticals, including EC.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Stormans, Inc. v. John Wiesman – Dissenting Opinion|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/15-862_2c8f.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502092439/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/15-862_2c8f.pdf |archive-date=2022-05-02|date=2016-06-28 }}</ref> They were challenging Washington state regulations on providing all lawfully prescribed pharmaceuticals.<ref name=":3" /> Courts have been warned that if pharmacists are allowed to deny EC prescriptions on religious or moral beliefs, it can affect public health and set a dangerous precedent with respect to "critical, life-saving preventative care".<ref>Brief of American Academy of Pediatrics in Support of Respondents, Zubik v Burwell (Nos. 14–1418, 14–1453, 14–1505, 15–35, 15–105, 15–119, and 15-191) 2016.</ref> The court denied the claim, stating that all pharmacies, even if the owner has a religious objection, must provide all prescribed medication, including EC. The pharmacy in question tried to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected, leaving the lower court's ruling in place.<ref name=":3" /> Wal-Mart, the third largest U.S. pharmacy chain, refused to carry EC from 1997 to 2006, which shows that accessibility may still be an issue in areas dependent on single pharmacies with no alternatives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2005/08/beyond-issue-pharmacist-refusals-pharmacies-wont-sell-emergency-contraception|title=Beyond the Issue of Pharmacist Refusals: Pharmacies That Won't Sell Emergency Contraception|date=2005-07-28|website=Guttmacher Institute|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref>