August 19, 2025
The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) is proud to announce the publication of an updated position paper “Emergency Contraception Update for Adolescents and Young Adults: Guidance for Health Care Professionals”. Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, this paper underscores emergency contraception as an essential element of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and provides strategies to ensure equitable access for all young people.
Read the full position paper here
SAHM’s Core Positions:
- All adolescents and young adults (AYAs) have a right to emergency contraception (EC) education and confidential, timely, accessible, low-cost EC to prevent unintended pregnancy as a matter of respect for autonomy, decision-making capacity, and reproductive justice.
- All health care professionals who serve AYAs need the knowledge and skills to effectively conduct patient-centered counseling on and provide EC to AYAs.
- Governments, health care systems, youth-serving organizations, and clinicians should implement policies that support the infrastructure to facilitate the education and provision of EC for AYAs.
- Written protocols for the provision of EC to AYAs are necessary for health care organizations to decrease barriers and increase the timeliness of EC receipt.
- All should continue to advocate for the availability of EC to be obtained over the counter and at an affordable pricing.
This paper offers a global perspective on advances in emergency contraception, addresses misinformation, and highlights the importance of reproductive justice, human rights, and youth-centered care.