The Pill Without A Prescription? Tennessee Lawmakers Work On Proposals

WPLN | By Chas Sisk

Published January 13, 2016 at 6:11 PM CST

A Nashville Republican says that, after 50 years on the market, oral contraceptives should be available without a prescription.

A Nashville lawmaker proposes making birth control pills available over the counter, an idea that could make Tennessee the third state to allow women to buy oral contraceptives without a prescription.

Republican State Sen. Steve Dickerson says he will soon introduce a bill that would require a woman only to talk to a pharmacist before buying an oral contraceptive. That would eliminate the requirement to see a physician for a prescription.

Dickerson says selling over-the-counter contraceptives would lower a major barrier many women — particularly low-income women — face to getting birth control.

"About half the pregnancies in the United States are either unplanned or mistimed," Dickerson says. "By making the Pill available, we can decrease the physical risk to women. We can decrease the financial burden. And we can decrease the stress."

Dickerson is a physician, and he says the medical literature shows oral contraception is no riskier than pregnancy itself. He argues pharmacists can warn women of those risks, like an increased chance of blood clots, just as effectively as a doctor could.

Sen. Steve Dickerson, an anesthesiologist, says women may be more cautious about the risks from birth control if they don't see a doctor.

Dickerson says he's still working on details but will introduce the bill within the next few weeks. He envisions women being handed a checklist of risks and conditions that might lead to complications.

"There are studies out that show that when women are given information in the form of a checklist, they're actually more conservative in their use of this medication than if doctors are given the option of screening the patients," he says.

Democrats are also working on a separate bill to make birth control pills available without a prescription.

So far, only Oregon and California have passed laws to allow it. Pushback there has come mainly from physicians. On the other side, some groups have argued women shouldn't even be made to speak with pharmacists.

Dickerson proposes limiting over-the-counter sales to women 18 and older. Contraceptives like the Plan B "morning-after pill" would not be covered by his proposal. One big question still to be resolved, however, is how to make sure insurance companies don't drop coverage for the Pill if a prescription for it is no longer needed.