As of earlier this month, hormonal forms of birth control have been made more widely accessible to the public. Now, anyone will be able to walk into a pharmacy, or any store that administers medications, and walk away with hormonal birth control in their hands, without a prescription.
Until now, the only forms of contraceptives that were commercially available were:
- Natural cycle trackers (mobile applications)
- Spermicide
- Contraceptive sponges
- External condoms
Hormonal birth control options could only be given to a patient by a pharmacist via a prescription administered to the patient by a licensed medical professional.
Of course, there are some opposed. The point of passing this bill was to give access to the devices that keep people in control of their reproductive health. The availability of hormonal birth control methods does not mean that non-hormonal methods are pushed to the side.
In a time when the Supreme Court peels back certain Constitutional rights, New Jersey has stepped up and ensured that pregnancy-prevention measures are still within the realm of accessibility.
Another FDA reclassification has also made Levonorgestrel 1.5 mg (Plan-B One-Step – the most widely recognized, and expensive form of this medication,) available to consumers – it’s now able to purchase on Amazon.
Now, anyone can acquire hormonal birth control from anywhere in New Jersey where hormonal birth control is sold.
The following bill was voted on earlier this month. It outlined the need for accessible contraceptives, and it passed with flying colors.
“Permits pharmacists to furnish self-administered hormonal contraceptives to patients without an individual prescription, pursuant to procedures and protocols that are to be jointly adopted, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” by the Board of Pharmacy and the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME), in consultation with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the New Jersey Pharmacists Association, and other appropriate entities. Self-administered hormonal contraceptives are defined to mean any oral, transdermal, or vaginal contraceptive product, including, but not limited to, birth control pills, vaginal rings, and diaphragms.”
The bill has officially been signed and enacted into New Jersey law.
Bill: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S275/bill-text?f=S0500&n=275_S2
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