New Jersey: Fight for Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills

Birth-control pills can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription even though it is one of the best studied and safest drugs available on the market. Oral contraceptives in the United States meet the criteria of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter substances. Making birth control pills available over the counter increases the number of women who have access to contraception, reduces the amount of unwanted pregnancies and abortions and saves women the hassle of trying to receive a prescription. The issue of whether birth control pills should be available over the counter isn’t an issue that should be backed up by a group’s personal beliefs, but rather, by the countless research that shows its undisputable widespread benefits for society. Research conducted by scientists over the past 50 years since the pill was introduced, proves that birth control pills are one of the safest and most effective drugs available on the market, yet ironically it requires a woman to spend large quantities of money visiting a doctor to receive a prescription. Countries like Mexico have allowed birth control pills to be sold over the counter and as a consequence less teenagers are getting pregnant and having abortions, more women, especially those from low income are using it more often. For a country that is so obsessed with equality among the sexes, it is alarming that women are still impeded from receiving one of the most basic needs for their health, and that is access to contraceptive pills.