Here & Now

Thad Schumacher on Demand for Emergency Contraceptives

Frederica Freyberg:

Turning to another national issue unfolding in Wisconsin, illegal abortion has led to an increased demand for emergency contraceptives. Some pharmacies are stocking up on these largely over-the-counter drugs. Marisa Wojcik spoke with the pharmacist and owner of the Fitchburg Family Pharmacy, Thad Schumacher.

Marisa Wojcik:

Are you concerned that emergency contraceptives could be banned or severely limited in access?

Thad Schumacher:

I do have that concern. I feel like the potential for that to occur is possible. As of a few weeks ago, I didn’t think that legal abortion would be gone and it is now. I know there are people who believe that — that there shouldn’t be any medications that would affect a fetus or any medications that would affect an embryo. So I think they’re at risk.

Marisa Wojcik:

Has the demand for emergency contraceptives gone up?

Thad Schumacher:

We have seen it go up. We probably sold one — one package probably a month prior to the decision. We have sold several packages a day since the decision. I think we saw that there’s a trend that the — that people are going to be wanting to get emergency contraceptive care for themselves to have it around. And that created an increase in demand, which can result in a short supply. And of course, a short supply can lead to increased price. And so I think we made a decision to try and purchase a large quantity so that we could have it on hand and then decided to make it — basically sell it at our cost so we could make sure to dampen any risk of increased price.

Marisa Wojcik:

So emergency contraceptives, those are different from abortion medication, right?

Thad Schumacher:

Correct. Correct. These are medications. These emergency contraceptives are medications that you take in the first three days of a sexual event that was not protected. And so you can use those within three days after that to be about 90 to 95% effective.

Marisa Wojcik:

We’ve heard a little bit about potentially people who have the potential to get pregnant are no longer being prescribed things that could lead to a miscarriage or harming the fetus. Has that been an issue at all?

Thad Schumacher:

We haven’t seen that here. We have heard talking — we have heard other professionals talking about medications that are used for the treatment of arthritis, treatment of — of other medical conditions that are not related to abortion. And those drugs are not being available because they can be used in abortion. We haven’t seen that here. If we got a prescription for one of those medications at this point, I think it would be — our policy would be to call the provider who wrote the prescription and ask for a diagnosis and why it’s being used. So that we can ensure that we were using it — outside of the reasons for — that they’re used for abortion.

Marisa Wojcik:

Has this changed the way you have conversations with providers?

Thad Schumacher:

Yeah, I think that as we move forward with medications that have multiple uses, and there are legal ramifications about using the same medication, if you use it this way, it’s illegal and if you use it this other way it’s not illegal, I think we’re going to see more conversations between providers and pharmacists to discuss exactly why these medications are being used so they can be documented.

Marisa Wojcik:

Are there liabilities for you as a pharmacist for providing these medications?

Thad Schumacher:

I believe the law in Wisconsin would come into play if I were to prescribe — dispense medication that could be used to abort a fetus. So, yeah.

Marisa Wojcik:

What do you think is going to happen going forward? Do you have any concerns?

Thad Schumacher:

I think we’re probably in a holding pattern at this point and I don’t expect much to change. I think if we’re going to have reversal of the current law, it’s going to have to come from the federal level.

Marisa Wojcik:

What have you been hearing from customers since Roe was overturned and just in general about the need for this kind of care?

Thad Schumacher:

So we’ve heard a lot of thank yous. We have gotten a lot of support from the community.

Marisa Wojcik:

And do you see this as patient care for your customers?

Thad Schumacher:

Yes. Access to — access to care is one of the most important things that we think that we can provide. And so, yes, it’s important this is accessible to everyone who needs it.