The morning after pill soon may be available over the counter.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a final decision on the matter by February.

The morning after pill is a double-dose of standard birth control pills that should be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.

“The key is for people to know that it is not an abortion pill. The morning after pill works by preventing conception or fertilization of the egg,” said Stacey Short, a management instructor whose specialty is in women’s rights and reproductive rights.

Joe Smulkaitis, part owner of Medical Arts Pharmacy, 625 Bethany Road, said he thinks the morning after pill is a woman’s individual choice.

“I have no problem with selling the morning after pill,” Smulkaitis said. “I have a pediatrician office and an OB-GYN office within my building. If the physician is prescribing the morning after pill, then I have no moral grounds preventing the person from obtaining the pill.”

According to a press release, advocates think that having the emergency contraception pills available in pharmacies right next to condoms could reduce the three million-plus unwanted pregnancies in the U.S. each year by half.

“I feel mixed on making the pill available over the counter,” Short said. “I really think that women should consult a health care professional before and after using emergency contraception. But I also think that more women need to know that it’s available, which over the counter would accomplish.”

The morning after pill does not protect against STDs. Potential side effects of the pill include nausea, headaches, vomiting, irregular bleeding and heavier periods.

Currently, University Health Service carries the morning after pill.