contraceptives
First over-the-counter birth control pill approved in the US
More and more states in the USA are tightening their abortion laws, many pregnancies are probably unwanted and education is often insufficient
© Annette Riedl / DPA
Since the Federal Court of Justice’s groundbreaking judgment on abortion rights in the USA, there has been a lot of debate about contraception and abortion. Access to contraceptives is now much easier.
“Today’s approval makes, for the first time, an over-the-counter, daily oral contraceptive an available option for millions of people in the United States,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, FDA representative. When used correctly, the birth control pill is “safe” and “more effective than currently available over-the-counter birth control methods.”
Almost half of the annual pregnancies in the USA are probably unwanted
Opill contains a progestin but no estrogen. The pill from the manufacturer HRA Pharma, which was bought by the pharmaceutical company Perrigo last year, had already received approval on prescription in 1973. Now women no longer have to go to the doctor to buy this birth control pill.
The FDA said on Thursday that nearly half of the more than six million pregnancies in the United States each year are unwanted. Access to an over-the-counter contraceptive pill can help reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies with potentially negative effects.
The approval comes against the background of a significant tightening of the abortion law in the USA. The country’s Supreme Court overturned the country’s basic right to abortion last year. As a result, numerous conservative-governed states largely banned abortions or significantly restricted access. The Iowa legislature recently passed a ban on abortion after the sixth week.
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In many countries such as Brazil, Greece, Mexico and Portugal, contraceptive pills are already available without a prescription. In many other countries – including Germany – on the other hand, a prescription from a doctor is required.