The nation’s largest organization of women’s health professionals said Tuesday that it now supports allowing over-the-counter sales of all oral contraceptives.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a policy statement released Tuesday evening that making birth control available for women without a doctor’s prescription would help decrease the rate of unplanned pregnancies in the United States, which has remained stubbornly high in recent decades.
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Given the group’s prestige and influence, the statement — a step beyond ACOG’s recommendation last month to make emergency contraceptives readily available — is considered a significant boost for reproductive rights advocates in easing rules that require women to obtain doctor’s prescriptions to purchase oral contraceptives.
Critics warn that the ACOG shift raises health and safety issues and could undermine parental oversight and authority.
With an estimated 50 percent of all U.S. pregnancies unplanned, doctors who backed the move said the current more restrictive access rules are fueling a larger health care problem for the country.
“It’s supported by a great deal of medical evidence that the pill is safe enough for over-the-counter sale,” said Dr. Daniel Grossman, an OB-GYN and vice president of research at Cambridge, Mass.-based Ibis Reproductive Health. “Women are able to use simple checklists to determine if they might have conditions that are dangerous, and some studies show women stay on the pill longer when they have access to over-the-counter availability. It’s a great move.”
Read more at The Washington Times.
