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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Attorney General Maura Healey urged the FDA to approve the country's first over-the-counter birth control pill in a letter on Thursday. AG Maura Healey joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general to write a letter calling on the United States Food and Drug Administration to approve the birth control pill.
The attorneys general wrote they are pushing for the approval in hopes it will improve access to safe and timely contraception for millions of Americans without the need for a prescription. The FDA is reviewing an application for the birth control pill, Opill, for over-the-counter use.
In the letter, the coalition said that approving the over-the-counter birth control pill will reduce barriers to get contraception and unintended pregnancies, things they write are associated with poor health and economic outcomes.
“One in three adults face obstacles in accessing safe and timely prescription contraception, and these barriers are even greater for vulnerable communities,” AG Healey said in a statement. “Making birth control available over-the-counter will go a long way toward empowering people to take control of their health, their lives, and their future.”
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In the letter, they wrote Opill should specifically be approved for over-the-counter use since it has been used safely for decades and proven to be effective by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. In approving Opill, the coalition said it would help people who are disproportionately unable to get contraception such as people of color, low-income families, transgender people, nonbinary people, and individuals living in rural areas who are uninsured or underinsured. Giving people a safe and effective over-the-counter option could help reduce barriers and improve mental and physical health, they wrote.
The letter was signed by AG Healey as well as the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
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