Washington Post op-ed: Pharmacy access today, and OTC access on the horizon

June 2017

The Washington Post published an op-ed by Ibis's Vice President for Development and Public Affairs Britt Wahlin which celebrates the new law in Maryland that will soon allow pharmacists to prescribe contraception, but reminds readers that an over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill is on the horizon. Ibis has contributed to the evidence base that shows that contraception is unnecessarily difficult to access, and we are excited about the proactive initiatives that break down barriers to access contraception in the United States. The new pharmacist-prescription law in Maryland will help make contraceptives such as the pill, patch, and ring, easier to access from Maryland pharmacists.

We encourage and support any effort that makes it easier to access contraceptives, and as leaders in the movement to make an oral contraceptive available OTC in the United States we know that a future OTC oral contraceptive would have a broader impact for women across the country who want to get their pills right off the shelf in any store instead of during pharmacy hours.

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