Oregon Becomes The First State To Allow Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pills

A bill is approved in Oregon allowing women to purchase birth control pills at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription has taken into effect at the beginning of the year. It was granted by the state House and the Senate and was signed by Gov. Kate Brown last December 2015.

"It makes no sense that men should have unrestricted access to contraceptives while women must first get a prescription from their physician," Rep. Knute Buehler, the Republican State and orthopedic surgeon who initiated the bill said In a report at Los Angeles Times. "Birth control should be as easy and accessible as possible."  

The State Health Authority, Board of Nursing and Board of Pharmacy discussed the regulations and training that would allow the pharmacists to commend the birth control. Women, aged 18 years old and above can buy birth control pills at the pharmacy. They need to fill out a health questionnaire and the pharmacist would decide if they are eligible for the birth control pills, according to Fortune. On the other hand, women who are below 18 years old must have prescriptions from their physicians.

"Just having birth control accessible through a pharmacist doesn't mean preventive health care isn't important," Alison Edelman of Oregon Health & Science University told KOIN. "That's now what the law is saying. It's making something that's both incredibly safe and a really big need more accessible to women."

Meanwhile, the Oregon State Pharmacy Association asserted that the purpose of this law is to raise the access to self-administered hormonal birth control with observance to the safety of the patients. They also averted that it will result in a decline of unwanted pregnancies. They said that there are risks associated with them for all medications too. And that the law involves the pharmacists to ensure the patients in evaluating any possible side effects.