Prescription access vs. Over-the-counter access: What’s the difference?

As of April 2024, the first over-the-counter birth control pill is available in the United States! Many states (including California, Illinois, and North Carolina) have expanded access by passing laws to allow pharmacist prescribing, which enables pharmacists to prescribe the pill as well as other hormonal contraceptive methods, including the patch, ring, and/or shot. Oftentimes, pharmacist prescribing is mistakenly referred to as “over-the-counter" access, but that’s not exactly accurate.  

This type of pharmacy access still requires a prescription, and can only happen one state at a time, but is a huge step toward greater birth control access for everyone. We can go further in expanding access to contraception by making birth control pills available over the counter. We break down the biggest differences between access models in this chart.