EC on Boston Legal
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
David E Kelley
Executive Producer, Boston Legal
February 15, 2006
Dear Mr. Kelley,
I am writing to thank you for highlighting the important issue of women's access to emergency contraception (EC) on the February 14 episode of Boston Legal.
You and your writers are to be commended for the wealth of medically accurate information about EC that was included in the episode. As the nation's largest provider of EC, Planned Parenthood was particularly glad that the script took note of the number of unintended pregnancies that could be prevented by EC and explained that EC is not medication abortion, though there has been an effort by some to confuse the two in the public's mind.
All women, especially rape survivors, should have compassionate and timely access to this important drug that can prevent unintended pregnancy. Thank you, too, for focusing on the Department of Justice's shameful omission of EC in the first-ever rape survivor protocol and on the increasing trend of health care providers refusing to prescribe EC and refusing to refer patients to a provider who will. It is important that EC be started as soon as possible — within 120 hours of unprotected sex — and refusals cause needless delays.
The reach and influence of an award-winning show like Boston Legal, coupled with medically accurate information about EC, provides an incredible boon to public health. Thank you for educating your viewers about the science of EC and the political issues surrounding access to this backup method of birth control.
Best regards,
Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America