Contraceptives will be available without a prescription in New York following a statewide order
ALBANY, N.Y. — Contraceptives will be available without a prescription in New York, under an order signed by state health officials on Tuesday. The move is part of New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s mission to strengthen reproductive rights at a time when they are limited in other parts of the country.
The measure comes as the first over-the-counter contraceptive pill was made available in US stores this month. The Food and Drug Administration said in a landmark decision last July that once-daily Opill could be sold on store shelves and without a prescription.
More than 25 states, including California and Minnesota, already allow pharmacists to provide contraceptive care, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The order, signed by New York Health Commissioner James McDonald at an Albany pharmacy, accelerated the effective date of a law signed last year that established the measure.
βIn light of national threats to reproductive freedoms, we simply cannot wait this long,β Hochul wrote in a memo after she signed the bill. It should come into effect in November.
According to Hochul’s office, people should be able to use the service within a few weeks.
In New York, trained pharmacists will be able to dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives, including oral contraceptive pills, vaginal rings and the patch, even if patients do not have a prescription.
Pharmacists who wish to participate must complete training developed by the state education department before they can dispense a contraceptive of the individual’s choice for a period of twelve months.
Patients must complete a self-screening form to help pharmacists identify the appropriate contraceptive method and the potential risks associated with the medication. Pharmacists are also required to notify the patient’s primary care physician within 72 hours of dispensing the medication.
Opill will still be available on store shelves and can be purchased by American women and teenagers as easily as Ibuprofen.
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Maysoon Khan is a staff member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.