Why OTC birth control pills are a big deal

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: