This figure marks one of the biggest changes in access to emergency contraception in decades, putting a free morning-after pill within easier reach of millions of women. The morning-after pill can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure by delaying ovulation, meaning sperm cannot meet an egg. Although this remains the most effective form of emergency contraception, it must be fitted at a clinic rather than a pharmacy. You don’t need routine medical monitoring after taking the morning-after pill. The expansion of free emergency contraception and ongoing oral contraception through pharmacies is part of a broader effort to modernise reproductive healthcare.