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Oregon Lawmakers To Consider Allowing Birth Control Without Doctor's Prescription

A proposal in the Oregon House would allow would let pharmacists dispense oral contraceptives and contraceptive patches without prior approval by a doctor.
Daniela Alejandra Robles
/
Wikimedia
A proposal in the Oregon House would allow would let pharmacists dispense oral contraceptives and contraceptive patches without prior approval by a doctor.

Oregon lawmakers will consider a proposal that would allow women to get oral contraceptives and contraceptive patches without a doctor's prescription.

The measure up for a possible vote in the House Rules Committee Wednesday would let pharmacists dispense the drugs without prior approval by a doctor.

Supporters say it would greatly expand access to birth control.

People would not have to go to a doctor first, which for some people could be a barrier if you don't have health insurance. This would allow you, if you have the money to purchase the birth control, to simply go and purchase the birth control.

When the idea first surfaced this session, critics questioned whether it was safe for women to take oral contraceptives without an initial screening by a doctor. The proposal under consideration would require pharmacists to complete a training program and offer customers a self-screening risk assessment tool.

The measure's backers say Oregon could become the first state to offer access to birth control in this way. A similar proposal has been approved in California but has yet to take effect.

Emergency contraception is already available without a prescription.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.