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Position
Healthy behaviours and supportive environments related to sexuality and reproduction are the two principal desired outcomes of Ontario's Reproductive Health and Sexual Health Standards. They are aimed at promoting healthy sexuality, reducing the burden of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies, while enabling optimal health for both parents and newborns from preconception to birth. From the onset of sexual maturity through parenthood, people must be given the tools to make wise decisions related to sexuality and reproduction, and to avail themselves of established and effective interventions to ensure their physical, emotional and social health and wellbeing.
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Recent Developments |
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Resolution: #A05-1, Improving Access to Contraception in Ontario
This resolution calls for a change to the status of Levonorgestrel (a.k.a. Plan B or the "morning after" pill) as a Schedule 2 drug, subject to direct intervention of a pharmacist or certified dispenser. The form that is used as part of this intervention calls for personal information, including sexual history. alPHa believes that this is a significant barrier to access. Levonorgestrel has been proven safe and effective, and as such should be available as an off-schedule (over the counter) medication for sale at any retail outlet.
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September 10, 2007
alPHa has been informed that NAPRA has received an application from the Women's Health division of Paladin Labs to move Plan B to Schedule III status, which would make it available over the counter. alPHa has sent the resolution to the Executive Director of NAPRA to support the application.
April 27 2007
Resolution closed by alPHa board of Directors
April 24 2007
alPHa’s Advocacy Committee recommends closure as both operative clauses have been satisfied. Following the requested advocacy, NAPRA has made clear its disagreement with alPHa’s position, and the CPA screening interventions in question were changed in December 2005 following a complaint by Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner
March 28, 2006
Reply received from the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities outlining the reasons that it disagrees with alPHa's posisiton on access to Emergency Contraception. Please click here to read.
March 21, 2006
Reply received from the Ontario College of Pharmacists, outlining the current standards of practice for the dispensation of Emergency Contraception. Includes an excerpt from the general Standards of Practice (2003) and an interpretation of that document's Standard 4 (patient interaction) for the purposes of provision of EC. Please click here to read.
February 15, 2006
Letter sent to the President of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities and the Registrar of the Ontario College of Pharmacists introducing this resolution. Copies sent to the CMOH, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and the President of the Canadian Pharmacists' Association. Please click here to read.
December 8, 2005
The Ontario College of Pharmacists has agreed to advise its members to stop using a screening form that was part of the dispensing process of Levonorgestrel, following a complaint by Ontario's privacy commissioner. Please click here to read the Toronto Star article.
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#A02-5, Reporting on Sexual Health, AIDS and Other STD Teaching
THAT the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) petition the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to request the Minister of Education to amend appropriate sections of the Education Act so as to require the reporting of the proportion of students in grades 7-9 receiving the minimum three hours of sexual health teaching and three hours of education about AIDS and other STD’s, annually, by schools, and further that such reports be provided to the Boards of Health having jurisdiction for each school.
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Recent Developments:
February 7, 2003
Received a response from Geoff Kettel at the Public Health Branch that the MOHLTC is "committed to supporting health units in the implementation of mandated health promotion activities...to that end, the Branch is involved in a number of ongoing activities, which address the provision of health education in school curriculums, including sexual health education".
November 25, 2002
Received a response from Minister Witmer, summarizing the overall and specific expectations of what students are required to learn about these subjects in grades 7 to 12. She indicated that it is up to instructors on how to meet these expectations, and that no amendments to require reporting of enrolment or success rates in the courses are being planned.
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