Arizona Governor Expands Access to Over-The-Counter Birth Control

Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Thursday announced expanded access to over-the-counter contraception for Arizonans 18 and up. The standing order, which allows those qualified to get birth control at a pharmacy without a prescription, will go into effect immediately, according to a press release from Hobbs’s office. 

The announcement, Hobbs said, “comes as extremists across the country have threatened the right to access contraception.” 

Patients seeking over-the-counter contraception, which includes hormonal contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, and oral contraceptives, will be required to complete a blood pressure and screening test. 

“Reproductive freedom is critical to the individuals and families working hard to create a life for themselves in Arizona,” Hobbs said. “We are building an Arizona for everyone, which means ensuring people across the state have what they need to live a free and healthy life.”

Pharmacies are not required to participate, but licensed prescribers can give a standing prescription drug order that authorizes “pharmacists to dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives without a patient-specific prescription,” per a press release from the Ariziona Department of Health Services. 

Arizona isn’t the first state to allow patients to get the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved self-administered birth-control without a prescription. More than 20 states have issued similar statues, the Arizona Department of Health Services said.

The announcement in Arizona comes just as the FDA is considering approval for the first over-the-counter birth control pill, marking a significant milestone in reproductive health. 

In May of this year, in a unanimous 17-0 vote, an outside advisory panel to the FDA recommended approval of the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which, if approved, would be available nationally. The progestin-only pill, called Opill, would be sold by pharmaceutical company Perrigo, NPR reported. 

Members of the panel explained during the two-day meeting, that the benefits of the over-the-counter birth control pill outweigh the limited risks. The FDA will make a final decision this summer.