by Carla Murez
Health Day Reporter
TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Pharmacists can now prescribe hormonal birth control pills in 20 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., making birth control more accessible to women, a new report says.
Ten more states are enacting legislation, according to research presented Monday at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists meeting in Las Vegas.
Ease of access to birth control has been a hot topic ever since the U.S. Supreme Court decided to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
“For many Americans, pharmacists are a critical and underutilized resource, especially for those living far from other health care providers or people with limited exposure for other reasons.”
A national analysis suggests this is a growing trend.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists have taken on more responsibility in delivering healthcare over the past few years,” said the analysis’s lead author, Soumya Jairam, a doctoral candidate in pharmacy at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“Our business is expanding and it is important to understand what the rules look like in other states,” Jairam said in the release.
States and territories that allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada , New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia, according to the National Federation of State Pharmacy Associations.
California was the first in 2013. South Carolina was the latest in May.
New York is one of 30 other states that do not authorize pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives.
Another survey of 500 New York women at the conference found that nearly three-quarters would be willing to get a contraceptive prescription from a pharmacist. Many said they lived closer to a pharmacy than to a health care provider.
Most of the women in the study said they trusted pharmacists to have the knowledge and skills to prescribe contraceptives. The main barriers to accessing birth control are the long wait times and difficulty getting an appointment at their doctor’s office, as well as the distance from their healthcare provider.
“Access to contraceptives may become more important as Supreme Court throws out Roe vs. Wade decision,” said lead author of women’s survey jennifer fixPhD Candidate in Pharmacy, Binghamton University School of Pharmacy, Johnson City, NY
“This decision has closed family planning clinics in many areas, and contraceptive prescriptions are a great opportunity for pharmacists to step in and play a role in health care,” Fiscus added in a news release. Running out of refills over the weekend, or not being able to reach their suppliers for weeks or even months.”
Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on contraception.
Source: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Press Release, December 5, 2022
