Officials made an announcement on Friday, stating that girls and women in California can now receive birth control pills at the local pharmacy without the need of a prescription from their doctors. Well, it is definitely not an over-the-counter purchase, but you can get the medication easily by talking to a pharmacist and filling out a simple questionnaire.
The main aim of this new option is to increase the ease of access to birth control pills and reduce the occurrence of unintended pregnancies. This law was originally passed by the state legislators in 2013, but the regulatory discussions had held it until Friday.
Here are a certain frequently answered questions that we have found the answer to regarding the law.
- So what types of birth control can you get? Basically, the law covers self-administered hormonal birth control, which means pills, patches, injections and vaginal rings. So anything that the doctor will have to insert like arm implants and intrauterine devices, or IUDs will not be issued by the pharmacist.
- Are there any age restrictions? No, there are none.
- What is the procedure after I reach the pharmacist? The process is pretty simple and uncomplicated. The pharmacist will take your blood pressure and make you fill out a small questionnaire to make sure that birth control is safe for you. Then, when you ask for a certain type of birth control, the pharmacist will recommend one.
- Can you go pick some up immediately? Well, it depends on your pharmacist and whether they are ready to rollout. The best thing that you can do to make sure is to call them up.
- Which other states have implemented this law? Women in Washington State and Washington DC have for long been able to access the birth control pills in a similar manner. Oregon started allowing women to procure the medication, this year, however, females above the age of 17 were permitted as well. Hawaii and Tennesse have also proposed similar legislation.