Should birth control be available without a prescription?

[TNF]

Yes (D)

[Goldwater]

Yes (R).

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Yes (D)

[Maxwell]

Of course.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Yes... though I'd feel better if it were only available behind the counter, available upon request with no questions asked.

Don't ask me why...

[Sbane]

No, or at the very least it should be behind the counter with mandatory counseling when using it for the first time. The risk of smoking while on birth control is too high. Also they should be counseled that BCP's do not prevent STD's. I know it's common sense but still....And they should get screened for cervical cancer every 3 years, which may not occur if women don't need to see their doctors to get their pills.

[Ban my account ffs!]

No, or at the very least it should be behind the counter with mandatory counseling when using it for the first time. The risk of smoking while on birth control is too high. Also they should be counseled that BCP's do not prevent STD's. I know it's common sense but still....And they should get screened for cervical cancer every 3 years, which may not occur if women don't need to see their doctors to get their pills.

I think that's a sensible position and what I was getting at.  It should not require a doctor's visit, which can take a lot of time and is really unnecessary...

But counseling from a trained pharmacist is prudent on most drugs, let alone on one like birth control.

In fact, pharmacists are very important because they're easily accessible and have the knowledge of drug interactions. 

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Of course, as long as it is not provided for free by the state.

Yes... though I'd feel better if it were only available behind the counter, available upon request with no questions asked.

Don't ask me why...

I agree, it would be weird if someone ran into a friend while buying it.

[Simfan34]

Of course, as long as it is not provided for free by the state.

Yes... though I'd feel better if it were only available behind the counter, available upon request with no questions asked.

Don't ask me why...

I agree, it would be weird if someone ran into a friend while buying it.

Even from a right-wing perspective I can't see why you'd feel this way. Now, in the 21st century, is the fact that ones peers are having sex seen as something odd? Do you consider it immoral? Perhaps a little chuckle, a brief moment of awkward silence as one realizes the implications of what exactly this means, and then we can both get on with our lives. Perhaps it's the unmarried thing; would you still feel this way if the person was married? I gave the issue some thought on Thanksgiving, actually, when I first met my cousin's two week old daughter. To have a daughter, obviously, she and her husband must have had sex. An unbidden realization, a mildly uncomfortable thought, then no more. It really isn't that strange. I don't see it much different for those unmarried- birth control is usually the preserve of those in relationships, right? (I assume we are speaking of pills and the like here, not condoms)

One should welcome the thought of less unwelcome children. Less unwelcome children means less unwelcome pregnancies, and less unwelcome pregnancies means less abortions. And that's a good thing by any measure, conservative or not.

[DemPGH]

No, or at the very least it should be behind the counter with mandatory counseling when using it for the first time. The risk of smoking while on birth control is too high. Also they should be counseled that BCP's do not prevent STD's. I know it's common sense but still....And they should get screened for cervical cancer every 3 years, which may not occur if women don't need to see their doctors to get their pills.

I think that's a sensible position and what I was getting at.  It should not require a doctor's visit, which can take a lot of time and is really unnecessary...

But counseling from a trained pharmacist is prudent on most drugs, let alone on one like birth control.

In fact, pharmacists are very important because they're easily accessible and have the knowledge of drug interactions. 

Agree with both of these positions. This is about having information, which is good.

Further, contraceptives should be fully covered and access should be as easy as possible.

[Frodo]

Yes -it shouldn't be an issue to anyone, include those who call themselves 'pro-life'.  That is unless you are one of those who consider birth control a form of abortion...     

[DC Al Fine]

It should be OTC. A pharmacist should have a quick chat with the person buying about side effects.

[Simfan34]

It should be OTC. A pharmacist should have a quick chat with the person buying about side effects.

Why can't this be on the back of the packaging?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It should be OTC. A pharmacist should have a quick chat with the person buying about side effects.

Why can't this be on the back of the packaging?

How many people actually read the packaging on OTC medicine?  Have you ever read the warnings on a bottle of aspirin (or acetaminophen or ibuprofen)?  Also the side effects of birth control pills are both common enough and serious enough that I'd only be comfortable with allowing them to be prescribed by a nurse practitioner and/or pharmacist after a consultation.

Besides, I thought the liberals were trying to reduce the costs of birth control to users? Insurance generally does not cover OTC medicines.

[Maxwell]

I'm pleasantly surprised my former Republican peers are the most liberal on this issue.

*nevermind*

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Of course, what common sense argument is there to otherwise?

[Frodo]

Thought this was relevant to this thread:

Doctors: Teens should have access to emergency contraception

By Anna Edney
Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — U.S. teenagers should be given prescriptions for emergency contraception to keep on hand in case they ever need it, the American Academy of Pediatrics said.

Emergency contraception, sold under the brand names Plan B and Next Choice, should be given to teens directly ahead of time, or they should get prescriptions that will allow them to have access to the drugs as needed, the doctors group said in a policy statement online Monday.

The pills are available now without a prescription to females 17 and older and males 18 and older. A move by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow emergency contraception to be sold over the counter to girls younger than 17 was rejected by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in December 2011.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said last week that oral contraceptives should be available without a prescription.

[© tweed]

yes, as should oxycodone.

[bedstuy]

It should be OTC. A pharmacist should have a quick chat with the person buying about side effects.

Why can't this be on the back of the packaging?

How many people actually read the packaging on OTC medicine?  Have you ever read the warnings on a bottle of aspirin (or acetaminophen or ibuprofen)?  Also the side effects of birth control pills are both common enough and serious enough that I'd only be comfortable with allowing them to be prescribed by a nurse practitioner and/or pharmacist after a consultation.

Besides, I thought the liberals were trying to reduce the costs of birth control to users? Insurance generally does not cover OTC medicines.

Nothing is completely safe and plenty of OTC drugs like acetaminophen can be extremely dangerous in certain circumstances.  I'm not competent to judge health risks but it doesn't seem like OTC birth-control is wiping out Western Europe or Canada.

It should be a matter of comparing the risk to the benefit.  The benefit of avoiding abortions and unplanned pregnancies is very significant.  And just the freedom aspect for a woman should matter.  I thought conservatives believed in freedom.

[Sbane]

Besides, I thought the liberals were trying to reduce the costs of birth control to users? Insurance generally does not cover OTC medicines.

This is an excellent point that everyone should consider.

[Lief 🗽]

Both of Ernest's points are very good. I think that birth control (of all kinds) should be cheap (or free) and easily available, but there are often legitimate medical concerns that arise with the pill and, due to the convoluted nature of the health insurance system, making birth control require a prescription actually makes it cheaper, provided that insurers are mandated to cover it (as they should be).

[nclib]

Absolutely (D).

I understand the safety and cost concerns with having it behind the counter, but frankly this makes it too awkward for the woman, especially in areas where it is still stigmatized.

I also agree with giving teenage girls the pill preemptively, which gives more time to prevent unplanned pregancy and avoids the awkward scenario of having to announce becoming sexually active. Also, the doctors could go over the warnings when they give it.

[DemPGH]

I also support making contraceptives readily available to teen girls.

[Jordan]

Everything should be available without a prescription.