Amplify: Over-the-counter Birth Control, Thanks to Democrats
While Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to shut down reproductive rights, the Biden Administration is giving women a new health option with the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill.
Opill—the first oral contraceptive to be available without a prescription—will go on sale this month at major retailers and online stores. Approved last summer by the Food and Drug Administration under President Biden, Opill is 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy if taken as directed at the same time every day.
Progestin, the active drug in Opill, has been prescribed safely for decades but it took Opill’s manufacturer nine years to win permission to sell it without a prescription.
An over-the-counter birth control pill is a critical addition to women’s health care options. It will be especially helpful to women who don’t have easy access to a doctor and teens who aren’t otherwise able to access reproductive health care.
Democrats in Congress sponsored legislation in 2023 that would require insurers to fully cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control like Opill. While it didn’t pass the Republican-controlled House, such a bill could stand a chance if Democrats retake Congress and Biden wins re-election.
Highlights—
Birth control pills will be available without a prescription for the first time this month, thanks to Biden Administration approval of Opill.
Opill is safe and 98 percent effective at preventing pregnancy when taken daily as directed.
While the Biden Administration is making it easier for women to control their bodies with Opill, Trump and Republicans are dragging the country in the opposite direction. The Republican-majority Supreme Court overturned women’s right to abortion in 2022 and Republican legislatures in more than 20 states have passed abortion bans. Nine states including Texas don’t even allow abortion in cases of rape or incest.
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