The new revision on California’s birth control laws promised making access to oral contraceptives easier for women bust so far the results have been a little disappointing. Under this law, any women can buy birth control pills without needing a prescription from a doctor. She should be able buy Ovral G, Loette or any other oral pregnancy prevention medication including hormonal contraception and patches. Although the legislation was passed back three years ago in 2013, women still struggle to find a provider that is willing to sell the medication without prescription.
A Californian woman describes her experience on how she was running low on birth control pills when she started looking for a pharmacist who could dispense the tablets without prescription since it was a case of emergency. As she could not get her prescription renewed on time, no pharmacy was ready to sell her the required contraception. She had expected for the pharmacist to obey the law, but not a single one implemented the new state policy on pregnancy prevention tablets.
The hold up in implementation
The delay in execution cited partly due to state officials spending months on working out minute details, so the amendment to the law did not come to effect until the end of April that year. Even so, it has been more than three years since it was passed and pharmacies still aren’t required to dispense pills as per the law and it doesn’t seem like they ever will.
A member of the state board of pharmacy commented that the law offered a lot of promise and hoped that it will slowly start to take effect. If pharmacies don’t participate, it would be troublesome, but it won’t be any worse that it was two years ago, she said.
Typical contraceptives
Generally, women take an appointment to a GYN and get an annual prescription of birth control pills; however women’s reproductive health advocates determine that to be an unnecessary hurdle for accessing contraceptives that result in unwanted pregnancies. Some get prescription for other methods of contraception that are more durable than capsules, and opt for websites where, for e.g., they can buy Nuvaring online.
Since online pharmacies are more convenient some prefer them instead of clinics. Due to the retail boom, one can buy pregtest cards to any form of contraceptives from these pharmacies.
Barriers that impede the new birth control law effect
Even if it was intended to make birth control pill accessible, the new law doesn’t necessarily fulfills this criteria. Its implantation doesn’t mean that birth control pills are now available over-the counter.
As pharmacies will have to spend at least one hour to go over health complications and side effects, most pharmacies are reluctant to dispense under new law. Additionally, even if birth control is insured under Affordable Care act, the pharmacies will charge extra for consultation fees.
Even so, those who have been on the same birth control pills for years would not have to go through renewal of prescription again and again if the new birth control law is effectively implemented.