Constance Daley's Blog - Posts Tagged "over-the-counter"
Birth Control Should be OTC
I'm amazed that at this point birth control isn't available over the counter. Considering what is in those little pills, it should not be particularly expensive to sell them at the drugstore for a very reasonable cost, and increasing their availability to young women is a fantastic idea. A woman shouldn't have to go see the gyno for something as simple as buying a few pills.
There might be some objections to this because of potential side effects, but a quick look at them yields nothing to be particularly frightened about. And considering acetaminophen is available OTC, and it has some of the worst potential side effects from overdose, I don't find the side effect argument particularly compelling.
The only other argument I can think of is that ready availability of birth control will cause more teens to have sex. All I can say is that teens are going to have sex anyway. Condoms are already available. At least birth control can be used preemptively so you don't have to worry that you forgot to bring your protection with you to a party. Plus, you won't get too drunk to remember to put the pill on.
There might be some objections to this because of potential side effects, but a quick look at them yields nothing to be particularly frightened about. And considering acetaminophen is available OTC, and it has some of the worst potential side effects from overdose, I don't find the side effect argument particularly compelling.
The only other argument I can think of is that ready availability of birth control will cause more teens to have sex. All I can say is that teens are going to have sex anyway. Condoms are already available. At least birth control can be used preemptively so you don't have to worry that you forgot to bring your protection with you to a party. Plus, you won't get too drunk to remember to put the pill on.
