11% of Women Who Have Sex Used Morning-After Pill

The use of so-called morning-after pills in the US is on the rise, a new report finds, with 11% of sexually active women between 15 and 44 saying they've used such a pill at least once. That's 5.8 million women, USA Today reports. And the New York Times reports that usage has taken quite the jump, from just 4% in 2002; the latest numbers are from 2006 to 2010 data. Of those who have used Plan B or similar emergency contraception, half were worried their regular birth control failed, and the other half had not used birth control.

The numbers are even higher for women in their early 20s: Nearly one-quarter of those who've had sex at least once have used emergency contraception. When it comes to regular contraception, 99% of sexually active women between 15 and 44 have used it, and that number is not much different for sexually active Catholic women: 98.6% have used it at least once. The Times predicts the report will "likely to add to the public debate" as President Obama and the Catholic Church continue to wrangle over ObamaCare's birth control rules. (More morning after pill stories.)