TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Health Minister Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said Wednesday that requiring purchase tracing for the abortion medication mifepristone and morning-after pills levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate would not change how patients obtain the drugs.
Lin said the proposed changes were prompted by recent cases in which the medications were allegedly misused and sold illegally, per UP Media. She noted that morning-after pills have long required a prescription in Taiwan and warned that frequent use may pose health risks.
Drawing on her background in obstetrics and gynecology, Lin said many couples lack adequate knowledge of contraception and misuse morning-after pills as their primary method of birth control, per Knews. She said repeated use can disrupt menstrual cycles, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy.
Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations Honorary Chair Huang Chin-shun (黃金舜) said the association supports adding mifepristone to the tracing system but opposes doing so for levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate, per ETtoday. Citing international practice, he said neither emergency contraceptive should be included in the tracing system before being reclassified as a nonprescription drug.
Awakening Foundation Director of Advocacy Chen Cheng-lung (陳政隆) criticized the government for failing to consult women's rights groups, saying the decision lacks a gender equality perspective, per CNA. He also noted that the World Health Organization recommends that two of the three medications be made available without a prescription.
Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association Secretary-General Hang Yichen (韓宜臻) said reducing access to morning-after pills would not improve medication safety. She argued that safe use should be promoted through education rather than through tighter restrictions.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party member Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) said purchase tracing could undermine the time-sensitive nature of emergency contraception, per UDN. Without additional measures to mitigate the policy's impact, she said women could face additional psychological stress on top of that associated with an unintended pregnancy.
Obstetrics and gynecology professionals remain divided from pharmacists and women's rights advocates over the status of morning-after pills, per UDN. Many physicians support retaining their prescription-only status, while pharmacists and advocacy groups favor making them available over the counter.
Grassroots Pharmacists Association Chair Shen Tsai-ying (沈采穎) said allowing pharmacists to dispense morning-after pills without a prescription would enable them to counsel patients while documenting purchases through the National Health Insurance system, preserving medication safety and bodily autonomy.
Responding to public concerns Thursday, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said the ministry would ensure supporting measures are in place so people who need the medications can continue to obtain them, per Liberty Times.
