New birth control law expected to be a game changer for women in rural areas - WECT

RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) - A new state law now allows women to get birth control pills without a prescription. The law was passed in August by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The bill became law Tuesday, Feb. 1.

Planned Parenthood South Atlantic applauds the new law and says it’s especially crucial to women who live in rural areas.

“This law will especially help people who live in rural parts of the state,” Molly Rivera, Communications Director for Planned Parenthood, said. “We have huge populations of people who don’t live near city centers and might not have a doctor’s office in their county or folks might not have a regular physician that they see. This law will really allow folks who live in the rural parts of the state to be able to get basic birth control right at their neighborhood pharmacy and that will really help improve access.”

Rivera says easy access to the oral contraceptives and birth control patches will significantly impact unintended pregnancies in teens and adults.

“The rate of unintended pregnancies is at a 30-year low. And the rate of teen unintended pregnancies is at an all-time low,” Rivera said. “So we know that access to affordable birth control is critical.”

The cost of birth control pills ranges from no cost at all with most health insurance plans to as much as $50.

Rivera says it’s the prescription -- not so much the cost -- that’s prevented some women from getting birth control pills. She says this new law changes everything.

“By making it so that many people won’t have to first go to their doctor’s office to get a doctor’s signature and then go to the pharmacy to pick up their birth control,” she said. “The state of North Carolina has really eliminated a barrier and made it easier for folks to pick up that birth control pill or a patch directly from their neighborhood pharmacy.”

A prescription will still be necessary for emergency contraception.

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source: https://www.wect.com/2022/02/01/new-birth-control-law-expected-be-game-changer-women-rural-areas/

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