Federal health officials are debating whether it's time to put emergency contraception — the so-called "morning-after pill" — on pharmacy shelves right next to the aspirin, available without a prescription.

This is huge and important for a number of reasons:

1) Emergency Contraception needs to be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. And the sooner the better. Being able to run to the store right after you realize the condom broke beats the pants out of calling your doctor's office, getting them to call in a prescription the next morning, etc.

2) Although formally a teenager's medical records are not accessable to their parents, it isn't always possible to call up the family doctor without parents finding out. And getting out to the drug store is much easier to explain than trying to get to Planned Parenthood or another community health clinic.

'Morning-after pill' over the counter? FDA considers it