California pharmacists can sell birth control to women and young girls, thanks to a new law. On April 8, Senate Bill 493 went into effect, meaning females of any age can walk into a California pharmacy and purchase almost any birth control after filling a questionnaire.
California pharmacists can provide birth control to all women after a simple survey. On April 8th, Senate Bill 493, which was signed into law in 2013, came in effect.
Thanks to that bill, women or young girls of any age in California can walk in their local pharmacies and obtain three types of birth control without a prescription from a doctor.
The person hoping to purchase contraceptives must first have their blood pressure taken, sit with a pharmacist, and answer a questionnaire, so they along with the health expert can determine if birth control is safe for them.
The pharmacist is required by law to remind the patient that birth control does not protect against sexually-transmitted diseases. The woman or young girl can ask questions to understand fully how she should use the birth control and learn of the side effects.
The following prescriptions for birth control can now be bought over the counter: self-administered hormonal/Depo injection birth control like pills, patches, injections, and vaginal rings. If your insurance plan pays for your birth control, it will cover the purchase.
Jon Roth, Chief Executive Officer of the California Pharmacists Association, sponsors of SB 493, said:
“Today is a wonderful day for women’s healthcare in California. We thank the California State Board of Pharmacy for completing the contraception regulations and are pleased that pharmacists can now provide direct access to birth control for women.”
Roth added:
“California’s 6,500 community pharmacies are the face of neighborhood healthcare in this state. Community pharmacies are open beyond normal business hours and patients do not need an appointment to see their pharmacist. That means these regulations will go a long way to expanding women’s access to birth control.”
Women, who are living in Washington state as well as in Washington, D.C., have long been able to obtain birth control at a pharmacy. In early 2016, Oregon began allowing pharmacists to dispense hormonal birth control directly to patients, who are over the age of 17. Lawmakers in Hawaii and Tennessee are attempting to get similar bills passed.
What are your thoughts on the new California birth control law?
