Discussing the recall of two Pfizer brands of birth control pills on Wednesday's NBC Today, co-host Ann Curry pressed Dr. Keri Peterson on an "option" for women who "may be now vulnerable to being pregnant." Peterson offered this tip: "There are options....You're going to want to use condoms immediately...there are also over-the-counter termination kits available that you can take right away." [Listen to the audio [1] or watch the video after the jump]
At the top of the broadcast, fellow co-host Matt Lauer warned about a "false sense of security" in the wake of the recall and promised viewers advice was on the way: "This morning, what women need to know." Apparently "termination kits" fell under the "need to know" category.
While NBC was quick to sound the alarm on ineffective contraception, the network has been silent [2]on the growing controversy over the Obama administration mandating that religious institutions provide employees with health care coverage for contraceptives under ObamaCare.
Here is a full transcript of the February 1 report:
7:00AM ET TEASE:
MATT LAUER: False sense of security. Pfizer recalling 1 million packets of birth control pills because of a problem that could lead to unintended pregnancy. This morning, what women need to know.
7:15AM ET SEGMENT:
ANN CURRY: Now to some breaking medical news this morning that will get the attention of a lot of women all across this country. Pfizer is recalling 1 million packs of birth control pills after discovering a packaging error that could lead to unintended pregnancies. Dr. Keri Peterson is an internist and contributor to Women's Health magazine, she joins us now. Dr. Peterson, Good morning.
KERI PETERSON: Good morning, Ann.
CURRY: Specifically, what brands made by Pfizer are involved in this recall?
PETERSON: There are two brands. One is Lo/Ovral 28 and one is Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol. It's 14 lots of each.
CURRY: Okay, do we have to worry that these – that women using these birth control pills not only may suffer unintended pregnancies, but also may have these birth control pills be harmful to them? Is there any concern about that?
PETERSON: No, there is no concern. What has happened is, every single birth control pack has three weeks of an active ingredient and one week of an inactive ingredient, and that's when women menstruate. What has happened is there has been a mix-up so that some of the inactive pills have been mixed up and placed where the active pills are or vice versa, they're not quite sure. Such that women will not be protected against pregnancy for the entire month and so if you are someone who had these lots, stop it immediately and use a backup form of birth control instead.
CURRY: And if you have been using these lots and you're concerned that you may be now vulnerable to being pregnant is there an option?
PETERSON: There are options. If you're vulnerable, first off, see your doctor right away to get a pregnancy test. You're going to want to use condoms immediately as a backup form and there are also – there are also over-the-counter termination kits available that you can take right away if you do think that you are pregnant.
CURRY: Alright, Keri Peterson, thank you so much for joining us on this breaking news this morning.
- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here [3] to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.