Hey Sandra Fluke, government is your foe, not your savior. OB/GYNS Back Over-the-counter Birth Control Pills http://bigstory.ap.org/article/obgyns-back-over-counter-birth-control-pills WASHINGTON (AP) — No prescription or doctor's exam needed: The nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists says birth control pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms. Tuesday's surprise opinion from these gatekeepers of contraception could boost longtime efforts by women's advocates to make the pill more accessible. But no one expects the pill to be sold without a prescription any time soon: A company would have to seek government permission first, and it's not clear if any are considering it. Plus there are big questions about what such a move would mean for many women's wallets if it were no longer covered by insurance. Still, momentum may be building. Already, anyone 17 or older doesn't need to see a doctor before buying the morning-after pill — a higher-dose version of regular birth control that can prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after unprotected sex. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration held a meeting to gather ideas about how to sell regular oral contraceptives without a prescription, too. Now the influential American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is declaring it's safe to sell the pill that way. Wait, why would doctors who make money from women's yearly visits for a birth-control prescription advocate giving that up? Half of the nation's pregnancies every year are unintended, a rate that hasn't changed in 20 years — and easier access to birth control pills could help, said Dr. Kavita Nanda, an OB/GYN who co-authored the opinion for the doctors group. "It's unfortunate that in this country where we have all these contraceptive methods available, unintended pregnancy is still a major public health problem," said Nanda, a scientist with the North Carolina nonprofit FHI 360, formerly known as Family Health International. Many women have trouble affording a doctor's visit, or getting an appointment in time when their pills are running low — which can lead to skipped doses, Nanda added. If the pill didn't require a prescription, women could "pick it up in the middle of the night if they run out," she said. "It removes those types of barriers." Tuesday, the FDA said it was willing to meet with any company interested in making the pill nonprescription, to discuss what if any studies would be needed. Then there's the price question. The Obama administration's new health care law requires FDA-approved contraceptives to be available without copays for women enrolled in most workplace health plans. If the pill were sold without a prescription, it wouldn't be covered under that provision, just as condoms aren't, said Health and Human Services spokesman Tait Sye. ACOG's opinion, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, says any move toward making the pill nonprescription should address that cost issue. Not all women are eligible for the free birth control provision, it noted, citing a recent survey that found young women and the uninsured pay an average of $16 per month's supply. The doctors group made clear that: —Birth control pills are very safe. Blood clots, the main serious side effect, happen very rarely, and are a bigger threat during pregnancy and right after giving birth. —Women can easily tell if they have risk factors, such as smoking or having a previous clot, and should avoid the pill. —Other over-the-counter drugs are sold despite rare but serious side effects, such as stomach bleeding from aspirin and liver damage from acetaminophen. —And there's no need for a Pap smear or pelvic exam before using birth control pills. But women should be told to continue getting check-ups as needed, or if they'd like to discuss other forms of birth control such as implantable contraceptives that do require a physician's involvement. The group didn't address teen use of contraception. Despite protests from reproductive health specialists, current U.S. policy requires girls younger than 17 to produce a prescription for the morning-after pill, meaning pharmacists must check customers' ages. Presumably regular birth control pills would be treated the same way. Prescription-only oral contraceptives have long been the rule in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Australia and a few other places, but many countries don't require a prescription. Switching isn't a new idea. In Washington state a few years ago, a pilot project concluded that pharmacists successfully supplied women with a variety of hormonal contraceptives, including birth control pills, without a doctor's involvement. The question was how to pay for it. Some pharmacies in parts of London have a similar project under way, and a recent report from that country's health officials concluded the program is working well enough that it should be expanded. And in El Paso, Texas, researchers studied 500 women who regularly crossed the border into Mexico to buy birth control pills, where some U.S. brands sell over the counter for a few dollars a pack. Over nine months, the women who bought in Mexico stuck with their contraception better than another 500 women who received the pill from public clinics in El Paso, possibly because the clinic users had to wait for appointments, said Dr. Dan Grossman of the University of California, San Francisco, and the nonprofit research group Ibis Reproductive Health. "Being able to easily get the pill when you need it makes a difference," he said.
One of the provisions of Obamacare I don't agree with is its' treatment of OTC drugs in general. With that said, the whole point of OTC drugs is easier, lower-cost drugs, and if Obamacare stipulates getting rid of copays for women getting contraceptives in most workplace healthcare plans, well, there you go. One more win for Obamacare! Unless prescriptions from doctors suddenly fall under the "live free or die!" category of things. I'm all for expanded availability to contraceptives. Hell, they should be handed out free to all men and women, and college boys and girls. But there's a certain religious element out there that likes to counter medical evidence and scientific consensus, and until that's gone, I don't think there will be much movement on this, lest we forget our friends in the Catholic Church getting mad at said removal of copays (What will they think of OTC birth control?)
Much agreed. I wish this country would get religion out of every damn issue we have. It is getting ridiculous. Whatever happened to keep Church and State separate? If someones religious beliefs are against contraceptives then don't take them.
You know, I think that is more spin than anything that this whole issue is a religious one. Quite a convenient scapegoat actually. How great is it for Dr.s that likely the most common prescription for women requires a freakin visit once a year? Then that Dr can turn around and bill insurance like $300 for their 20 min. Kinda like the rip off that getting contacts lenses are. Law says your contact prescription is only good for one year then you have to go back to the eye Dr to get your check up to get your lenses renewed. You're creating economic activity favoring Drs by imposing these types of required check ups to get your prescription. 2 or 3 yrs for a check up seems fine to me so long as you're young and healthy.
Just replace one religion .. . . with another one Anyway So . . . I am more and more concerned with our society's mentality of better living through chemistry. We want a 'free for all' . . imo this is another move toward that. We will 'let the market decide; . . .which drugs are useful etc Rocket River
Its available in almost every country over the counter. Access to medicine is terrible in this country.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Sorry to burst your bubble on the global Dr conspiracy but the fix isn't in to get you into the clinic. Did you ever stop to think that there is a reason for having someone come in before they start taking certain birth control pills? Do you think it's possible that using the wrong contacts for 2-3 years can do some significant damage to your eyes? No, no, not that at all. Doctors just want your monies!
Do doctors take your glasses away too? So I guess your are against the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendation?
I'm thinking that using the wrong our outdated glasses for years also hurt your eyes. Anyways... So are you for or against the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendation?
The government doesn't take away any contacts you've already stocked up either. In both cases, you just can't buy new ones.
The majority of Obgyns support OTC though... And I can see where you are coming from, but its not true.
OB/Gyns are not drug manufacturers--- and OTC drugs, if anything, have elements that are more regulated than prescription drugs. The FDA requires a wider margin on safety for OTC drugs since they don't have a doctor supervising their use.
You better watch what you say about those beef producers RR, they'll sue! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/pink-slime-lawsuit-abc-news_n_1883528.html $1.2 bil defamation suit against ABC --- to the topic at hand, seems like a sensible move
Oh no. This will just encourage people to have heterosexual relations. Some of them may not even be be married. OMG!! This used to be a good Christian country before the pill.