Statements of Support
There is a strong body of research supporting over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pills as safe, effective, and beneficial to overall well-being—and in 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an OTC daily birth control pill for the first time in US history. More than 250 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations, research and advocacy groups, youth activists, health care providers, prominent medical and health professional associations, and others have signed on to Free the Pill’s Statement of Purpose to express their commitment to our shared vision of OTC birth control pills that are fully covered by insurance, priced affordably, and available to people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds. Coalition members, medical experts, policymakers, and others have also released statements of their own highlighting the importance of expanding access to contraception through OTC birth control pills.
Below you’ll find a collection of statements from these groups vocalizing their support for making birth control pills available OTC in the United States.
“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