The FDA has approved the oral contraceptive Opill for sale without a prescription. Expert Carolyn Sufrin puts that news in context.

Fifty years ago, the oral contraceptive medication norgestrel was FDA-approved for prescription use. Now Opill, a brand-name version of this drug, offers millions of people access to safe, effective oral contraceptives at retail stores and online without a prescription.

The decision comes at a time when nearly half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended and abortion has been restricted or banned in many states.

Here, Sufrin, an associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and in health, behavior, and society at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, discusses the significance of Opill’s OTC availability and what needs to happen next:

Aside from this being the first approved over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive pill, why is this so important?

I’m thrilled about this because people with the capacity to be pregnant need to be able to decide and control if, when, and how they become pregnant and parent, and this is an essential tool to help many people determine that. Not having to go through a physician or other clinician reduces barriers to accessing effective pregnancy prevention.

One reason it’s especially important now is that having an unplanned, unintended pregnancy in many states in this country can be a dangerous and difficult proposition because abortion is functionally unavailable in so many states. So if someone does not want to be pregnant and does not want to be a parent, they need to have access to contraception. This just makes it much easier for people to access a safe method of contraception.

Are there any caveats to the FDA’s approval?

Yes. I’m concerned about the cost and insurance complexities. It’s great that it’s going to be over the counter, but that doesn’t mean that everyone’s going to be able to afford it. I don’t know what the cost will be—I hope they will make it affordable—but for someone who has limited income, it may be hard to purchase an over-the-counter medication.

Read the full article about over-the-counter birth control pills at Futurity.