The pregnancy interrupting (abortion-causing) drugs are freely sold in pharmacies without a prescription and people can get them quite easily. We were able to purchase these drugs freely in 7 of the 10 pharmacies operating in the capital city. The employees of pharmacies did not demand prescription from us and even did not ask why we were buying those drugs for.
The Ministry of Health informed us that the State Health Inspectorate department on prevention of the sales of drugs without prescription had initiated administrative proceedings on such facts in Yerevan and marzes of the republic and provided binding orders. At the same time the pharmacy staff told us that they had never been forbidden to sell those drugs. One of them even said that they have no right not to sell the drugs. “Indeed, I understand that these drugs can not be sold without a prescription, but none of us were ever banned and warned that not to sell the drugs, the barrier should be from above,” she said.
She also told us that recently there was even an increase in the sale of these drugs. “Of course there are women who understand the importance of their health and com with prescriptions, but most of the women buy the drugs without any prescription,” said the employee of the pharmacy shop.
To our question about any penalties against them for selling the drugs without a prescription she informed that such cases were not registered.
In another pharmacy shop we were advised to use these drugs only under the doctor’s supervision, however they did not refuse to sell the drugs, and even said that we could by them without a prescription.
The Ministry of Health informed that they also had registered cases when the drugs were sold without a prescription. But they were not subjected to administrative liability, because the RA law on Administrative Offences does not provide liability for selling the drugs without a prescription.
At the same time we were informed that the Ministry had submitted to the RA NA a new Draft RA Law on Drugs, which regulates the problem.
Also the Draft RA law on Making Changes and Amendment in the RA Law on Drugs, which provides for administrative liability for selling the drugs without a prescription, has been developed.
Thus we may conclude that currently there is no administrative responsibility foreseen for selling the drugs without prescription and the abortion causing drugs are being sold freely in pharmacy shops, even realizing that their use without the doctor’s supervision could cause extremely negative consequences.
A lot of women are aware of the fact that such drugs are sold freely in the pharmacy shops do not apply to the doctors for advice and prescription.
Gynecologist Anna Ghazaryan is against the free sale of the pregnancy interruption drugs without any prescription and believes that the pharmacies have no right to sell the drugs without a prescription. According to her, the use of drugs causing home Abortion is wrong, because it can negatively affect a person’s health. “If used without the doctor’s recommendation, it can lead to difficult situations, bleeding and seriously damages human health,” she said.
Mrs. Ghazaryan said, many women having money problems and not trusting the doctors make such a dangerous step. “Sometimes it may be extrauterine pregnancy and they risk their own lives, as these drugs cause severe bleeding,” said the doctor.
She also noted that drugs can be used up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, and then only under the supervision of doctors.
According to the study conducted in 2014, from the 2315 interviewed women 344 (14.8%) mentioned infertility in their anamnesis, moreover primary infertility, that is, in case of living a sexually active life for a year or more, 99 (4.3%) of the respondents did not ever have pregnancy, while the secondary infertility was mentioned by 245 (10.6%) of women having pregnancies or children during the last 2 years.
Yelena Aramyan
