The benefits of making birth control more accessible can’t be overstated.
This past month, the F.D.A. approved Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S., and Canada should follow their lead.
Oral contraceptives that can be accessed without a prescription will make it easier for those who choose to take birth control to do so.
Currently, there are several barriers complicating access to birth control.
Medications are expensive. and intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other contraceptive implants cost hundreds of dollars. Exacerbating the financial inaccessibility of birth control for Ontario residents is the fact that birth control isn’t covered by Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
Another factor obscuring access to birth control is the shortage of family doctors. The waitlist for getting a primary care physician can be as long as 10 years in Ontario.
Over-the-counter birth control will make it possible for those who don’t have a family doctor, but want to take oral contraceptives, to obtain them.
Making birth control more widely available will help in its medical and social de-stigmatization.
Most of the current discourse surrounding birth control discourages its use by over-emphasizing its potential negative side effects.
Young patients feel uncomfortable asking their parents and doctors about birth control. Going to the drugstore and seeing it stocked on the shelves can help make birth control less taboo and conversations about it more frequent.
If patients experience less trepidation broaching the subject with medical professionals, they can be more assured in asking questions to determine the best form of birth control for them.
Normalizing birth control could aid in reducing stigma around other life-giving and gender-affirming treatments such as PrEP, which protects against HIV, and hormone therapy, used in treatment for gender dysphoria and certain forms of cancer.
Upgrading the accessibility of birth control is particularly important given the recent abortion bans in the U.S.
Pregnancy isn’t a health-neutral event. Being pregnant is extremely mentally and physically arduous and can easily become dangerous as well. People reserve the right to protect themselves from the harms of pregnancy, making access to birth control a fundamental right.
Although some may oppose the advancement of over-the-counter birth control because of its potential health risks, taking any over-the-counter medication includes the possibility of dangerous side effects. A non-prescription birth control isn’t an inherently more dangerous product than Advil or Tylenol and shouldn’t be treated as such.
Despite all the positive aspects of the F.D.A.’s approval of Opill, it being the only over-the-counter birth control would not be a satisfactory ending to the battle for accessible birth control.
Birth control can have unpredictable side effects, meaning one pill may not meet the needs of all those who need it.
Oral contraceptives tend to have the most feminizing side effects, making them unsuitable for many trans folks.
Improving the accessibility of all forms of birth control and having multiple types of non-prescription birth control available are necessary next steps for the best implementation of the Opill.
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