The ability of a woman to purchase birth control can sometimes be a hassle. She has to go to the doctor and speak with them about a prescription, which takes time out of a day. California made the process a little easier by legally allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control, and Oregon took notice.
Last week, Oregon governor Kate Brown signed a bill to allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control into law last week.
Kathy Kneer, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California told CNN, “We support efforts like these that remove barriers to women gaining access to birth control and other reproductive health care.”
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She continued by saying that hormonal contraception has been widely accepted as save, “so safe that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that it be available over the counter.”
Birth control won’t just be handed out like cough drops, though. Californian pharmacists can only provide contraceptives after women submit to a health screening and their blood pressure is taken. Although Oregon will also require women to be screened for potential health risks before they receive birth control from a pharmacist, specific rules have not yet been developed.
Even though both states promote this easier access to birth control, they differ in a significant way in the age requirement of the customer. California’s law has no age restriction. The Oregon law restricts pharmacist birth control prescriptions to women 18 and older.
Before having clearance to prescribe birth control in California, the pharmacists themselves are required to go through a one-hour educational training session. For Oregon, executive director of the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy Marcus Watt told CNN that pharmacists will most likely have to participate in more training than a single hour session in order to prescribe contraceptives.
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California’s law will go into effect October 1, 2015. The law in Oregon becomes effective January 1, 2016.
Photo: Flickr user Monik Markus
