Women hoping for over-the-counter birth control may have years to wait before it becomes available, even if the D.C. Council passes a bill designed to make contraceptives more accessible. Councilman David Catania, D-at large, introduced a bill this week that would pave the way for pharmacies to offer birth control pills, patches or vaginal rings without a prescription. But it even if the council approves, it would be quite some time before such contraceptives are available. Nowhere in the nation are such forms of contraception legally available without a prescription, said Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Shelly Burgess. Recent pilot programs to test the sale of nonprescription birth control in Seattle and Portland, Ore., have been discontinued.

Even if the contraceptives were approved for over-the-counter sales, the District’s Board of Pharmacy and Board of Medicine would have to determine a process by which to ensure responsible sale and use.