Statements of Support

“As cost remains the top challenge for consumer access, it is incumbent upon all of us to remain committed to eliminating barriers to contraceptive equity and to work as hard as we can to create a fair and equitable marketplace for all. Now, more than ever, we must prioritize contraceptive equity—and for Opill, that means fulfilling Perrigo’s promise to set an affordable price and establish a robust consumer assistance program that allows everyone to benefit from this groundbreaking advancement in reproductive health.”

— Free the Pill coalition steering committee

“OTC coverage is key to equitable access and in the case of contraceptive care, it is also a reproductive justice issue. We know that barriers to contraception fall harder on communities that experience systemic inequities due to structural racism, bias, and other forms of oppression, and it is imperative that policies are designed to break down these barriers, not uphold them.”

— Kelly Blanchard, Robyn Elliott, Victoria Nichols, and Britt Wahlin

“We urge the Administration to require insurance coverage of OTC contraception without a prescription requirement and without cost sharing. This is a vitally important path to ensuring the accessibility of Opill, particularly for those who face the most barriers to accessing reproductive health care.”

— Free the Pill coalition

“The FDA must prioritize reviewing the first-ever application for an OTC birth control pill and announce a new date for the advisory committee meeting as soon as possible.”

— Free the Pill coalition

“A safe over the counter birth control option is a timely and important resource to provide equitable access and essential reproductive healthcare for the adolescent patient.”

— North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

“I’m proud to introduce this resolution which will raise awareness about contraception and help people make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.”

— Representative Velázquez (D-NY-07)

“Efforts to expand access, including pharmacist-initiated prescriptions (also known as pharmacy access), over-the-counter (OTC) sales, and mail-order (MO) purchasing, can reduce barriers to access that adolescents may experience.”

— American Academy of Pediatrics

“The right to contraception is a fundamental right that is central to an individual’s privacy, health, wellbeing, and ability to participate in the social and economic life of our nation.”

— Senator Markey (D-MA)

“We will not stop until birth control is over-the-counter and accessible for all people regardless of age, race, gender, class, or sexuality!”

— Lauren Schenck, age 20, #FreeThePill Youth Council, Advocates for Youth

“Providing patients with OTC access to the birth control pill is an easy call from a public health perspective as the health risks of pregnancy vastly outweigh those of oral contraceptive use.”

— David H. Aizuss, MD, American Medical Association Board Member

“The Affordability is Access Act would ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, it approves it without delay—and would ensure that insurers then fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any out-of-pocket costs.”

— Sen. Murray (D-WA), Rep. Pressley (D-MA-07), Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Rep. Bera (D-CA-07), Sen. Hirono (D-HI), and Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV)

“The potential benefits here are enormous and have been documented through decades of research and data on the benefits of birth control access for all… The public support reflects the benefits of access as well: seventy percent of women of reproductive age are in favor of making birth control available over the counter without a prescription.”

— Oral Contraceptives (OCs) Over-the-Counter (OTC) Working Group

“Despite decades of proven safety and effectiveness, people still face immense barriers to getting birth control due to systemic inequities in our healthcare system… FDA has an important role to play in removing unnecessary barriers to provide individuals greater control over their reproductive lives and health.”

— Pro-Choice Caucus, United States House of Representatives

“NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) supports AI/AN access to over-the-counter birth control pill that’s affordable, covered by insurance, and provided within the Indian Health system...”

— National Congress of American Indians

“…over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception should be the ultimate goal. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception without age restrictions.”

— American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

“The AAFP supports over-the-counter access to oral contraception without a prescription… The AAFP supports insurance coverage of oral contraceptives regardless of prescription status in all insurance plans.”

— American Academy of Family Physicians

“RESOLVED, That the American Academy of Family Physicians write to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to encourage that adolescents, regardless of age, be included in the over-the-counter (OTC) oral contraceptives studies required by the FDA (e.g., label comprehension study, actual use study) to determine whether OTC access is appropriate for this population.”

— Congress of Delegates, American Academy of Family Physicians

“Available literature demonstrates that women can self-screen for contraindications to oral contraceptives and can do this as well as clinicians, and experience with OTC emergency contraception suggests that OTC oral contraceptives would not increase sexual risk-taking behavior.”

— American College of Clinical Pharmacy

“A growing body of evidence suggests that women could safely use oral contraceptives if they were available over the counter and that contraceptive uptake and continuation might increase if this method were available directly in a pharmacy.”

— American Public Health Association