FDA Considers Over-the-Counter Birth Control. Here’s Why It Matters.

Virginia Allen / Gloria Taylor / July 28, 2022

For the first time in history, women may soon be allowed to purchase birth control over-the-counter.

The Food and Drug Administration first approved the pill in the 1960s, and since then, women have always needed a prescription for birth control pills. But that might be changing. 

The FDA is considering approving over-the-counter birth control. The pharmaceutical company HRA Pharma has asked the FDA to allow its birth control pill Opill be sold without a prescription. 

If the FDA approves, Opill will be the first daily birth control pill to be sold over-the-counter. 

The drug company says it has done numerous studies over the past six years to prove to the FDA that the drug label is clear and users can understand how to use the drug correctly without guidance from a doctor. 

It will likely take the FDA several months to decide if Opill can be sold without a prescription. 

Making the pill available over-the-counter generates safety concerns. Birth control pills can have severe side effects on women. The pill often won’t work accurately if users don’t follow directions closely.

The greatest concern regarding over-the-counter birth control is how it would provide access for youth and children. Adolescents could buy the pills without parental knowledge or any input from a medical professional. 

On today’s episode of “Problematic Women,” we discuss the implication of over-the-counter birth control. Plus, Congress is trying to codify gay marriage into law. We also discuss YouTube’s pledge to remove video on unsafe abortion practices. And as always, we crown our “Problematic Woman of the Week.” 

Listen to the podcast below.