In New Jersey, no prescription will be needed for birth control pills
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Contraceptive medication in New Jersey will now be available without having to see a doctor for a prescription. With this meassure, New Jersey will be joining at least 29 other states and the District of Columbia that allow over-the-counter birth control pills.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill for this change in January 2023, but it has been awaiting approval from the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Pharmacy.
While not all the rules have been set yet, officials expect to have the protocol set up by early February.
A public campaign will be run by the state's Commissioner of Health to inform the general public about any concerns associated with this new measure, the bill says.
How does the birth control bill work in NJ?
New Jersey is one of 15 states along with the District of Columbia to allow over-the-counter medication without age restrictions and without requiring periodic appointments with physicians to continue receiving the medication.
Once the medication is available over the counter in New Jersey, pharmacists will administer screenings to make sure that patients can safely take the pills. The screening might include a questionnaire. With the pharmacist being the only point of contact to obtain the medication, pharmacists in New Jersey will now be required to offer counseling about other forms of contraception.
In July, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily birth control pill sold over the counter. Early this year, patients will be able to get the medication in pharmacies and online.
People from other states can also come here and get birth control medication without prescriptions, a measure that’s in tune with Murphy’s 2023 declaration of New Jersey as a sanctuary state for abortion access.
“New Jersey is and always will be a safe haven for reproductive health care, period,” Murphy said in October during a briefing in Trenton.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: In New Jersey, no prescription will be needed for birth control
