Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced joining a coalition of 21 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve over-the-counter birth control pills that meet applicable safety and efficacy standards, including a pending application for the nation’s first over-the-counter (OTC) pill.
If approved, safe and effective birth control pills will become available for purchase over the counter, removing barriers that currently keep many people from accessing timely reproductive care. In a letter submitted to the FDA, Raoul and the attorneys general argue that approval of the pill would allow individuals — especially those from vulnerable populations — to take greater control over their health, lives and futures. It would also help them avoid the health and economic perils that come with unwanted pregnancies.
“Women have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including having access to safe, effective birth control,” Raoul said. “In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, it is crucial that reproductive health care be available to all women who need it. That is why I am calling on the FDA to approve over-the-counter birth control. I remain committed to defending women’s rights and their access to reproductive care.”
The FDA is currently reviewing an application to approve a birth control pill, named Opill, for OTC use. If approved, people who need birth control would be able to walk into a pharmacy and buy it without a prescription, making it the first-ever birth control pill sold OTC.
In the open letter to the FDA, Raoul and the attorneys general assert that the pill should be approved for OTC use because:
- It has been found to be safe and effective for most users. Studies show that progestin-only pills, like Opill, carry a much lower risk of blood clots than traditional combination estrogen and progestin birth control pills. These pills have been used safely in the U.S. since 1973 with minimal side effects. Studies of progestin-only birth control pills show that they are over 90% effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies — more effective than methods such as spermicide, condoms or the sponge.
- It would remove barriers to obtaining birth control faced by many. Researchers say one-third of adults in the U.S. who have tried to obtain prescription contraception have reported facing challenges, such as difficulty getting an appointment, having to travel for clinic visits, or navigating restrictions on the amount they can buy monthly. Further, one-third of birth control users say they have missed taking their birth control because they could not get their next supply in time. An OTC birth control pill would remove many of these challenges and make it less likely for people to face unwanted pregnancies due to circumstances outside their control.
- It would provide critical help to people from vulnerable populations. Barriers to accessing birth control disproportionately impact people of color, low-income families and individuals living in rural areas, who are more often underinsured or uninsured, and thus find it harder to get the reproductive care they need. OTC options would go a long way in reducing these inequities and making the health care system fairer and more accessible for all. The benefits of such a system include lower maternal mortality rates, less poverty, higher levels of physical and mental health, and more economic freedom and opportunity for vulnerable communities.
Raoul and the attorneys general also point out that in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade earlier this year, many states have banned or restricted abortion, narrowing the choices for those seeking reproductive care and making access to birth control even more critical, including for residents of Illinois who may be traveling, temporarily living, working or studying in anti-abortion states. Studies have shown that making birth control pills available OTC would increase the use of contraception, resulting in up to a 25% decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies.
In filing the open letter, Attorney General Raoul is joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
Original source can be found here.