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Oral Birth Control Research Paper

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The inaccessibility of oral contraceptives in the United States is negligent: Women would benefit greatly from the legalization of an over-the-counter oral birth control pill
Unintended pregnancies occur in the United States because of lack of accessible prevention methods. To end unwanted pregnancies and abortions, a change needs to occur. Currently, an oral birth control is in deliberation by healthcare professionals to potentially switch availability for women to buy over-the-counter (OTC). Because no prescription would be necessary, this would make obtaining oral contraceptives easier. The drug would be progestin-only, a female hormone otherwise called progesterone, which is not available in the United States in an oral drug formulation. This birth control is objectively safer than common oral birth control pills that are typically estrogen-progestin combinations. Plan B, (levonorgestrel), an oral emergency contraceptive, was recently legalized to purchase OTC without any …show more content…

It is currently challenging to receive the proper insurance and prescription coverage necessary to obtain oral contraceptives in comparison to potentially having the capabilities to walk into a drug store and purchase the medication off of a shelf. There is a moderately safe OTC option in discussion among healthcare providers that citizens in the United States could benefit from if it were implemented. Furthermore, if Medicaid and private insurance companies were made to reimburse women for their purchases, that would counteract any potential issues with legalization. OTC oral contraceptives should be made available in the United States and it should be accessible to women of all ages. In order to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions, we must continue to advocate for OTC oral birth control methods to give advantages to adolescent and adult women across the

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