Poll: Should The Pill Be Available Without A Prescription?
Posted by: Amelia McDonell-Parry
Filed in:
polls
3:45PM, Wednesday December 10th 2008
The British are testing out a pilot in London that could make it so women age 16 and older wouldn’t need a prescription to get birth control pills. If the pilots are deemed successful, birth control would then be made available over-the-counter. Since what happens in the U.K. usually happens in the U.S. a few years later, I think we can expect that this will be a subject that will begin to be debated in the next few years. So what do you think?
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Perceptible
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 03:55 pm: [report]
Hmmmm… it’s an interesting debate. Women of all ages should be able to take control of their bodies and their birth control methods, and the pill is certainly a viable option for most. But it is a drug that should probably be taken with a Dr.s’ supervision, especially in younger girls who may not have access to a Dr. in the event of a problem. This is a tough one. Personally, I don’t think I would take hormones without consulting a Dr. but maybe that should be at the discretion of the individual.
joyy
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 04:16 pm: [report]
“the pill” is a euphamism for oral hormonal contraceptives - is this supposed to mean all available prescriptions under that umbrella would be otc? There are varying kinds and doses, and since sexually active women should be seeing their gyno for an annual, I see no reason to make this available otc.
However, I am for making birth control more widely available and AFFORDABLE, and having insurance companies view it as a maintenance drug (many do not, wtf!?).
Also, what is with the 18y.o. option? The age of consent varies in different states - wouldn’t it make more sense to tack an age limit on otc bc onto the state age of consent? You don’t need to be 18 to get b.c. as it is, so why is this question even included?
stelladelvinile
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 04:37 pm: [report]
No way - and the only reason I say that is because I’ve had a LOT of problems tolerating hormonal birth control. I’ve been borderline suicidal because of high hormone levels and can’t imagine going through trial and error without the supervision of my doctor.
Lynn
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 04:48 pm: [report]
I think taking something like hormones is way too risky to put in the hands of the regular Joe. No offense to all the brilliant and intelligent Frisky readers. But just a waltz through my local Wal-mart reveals people who can’t even read or comprehend how to wash their hair, so I certainly wouldn’t trust them to understand how to #&@$% with their hormones.
Plus, going to the gyno every year to get your prescription makes you go in for a checkup, which is just good for your health.
vanya
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 05:13 pm: [report]
I do think that hormone contraceptives like the Pill, NuvaRing, etc, should be under phsyician’s care and monitoring mostly because of the severity of some of the side effects - stroke, heart attack, cysts, high blood pressure, etc. and also because of cases where efficacy is compromised, such as when taking antibiotics or vomiting/diarrhea. It’s been my observation IRL that very few people read ALL the fine print for any given product…
elizabethmarley
wrote on December 10 2008 @ 07:58 pm: [report]
The thing that’s scary about being able to get The Pill without a prescription is that it is for real medication, a hormone, that could potentially cause health complications, and shouldn’t be just handed out. However, making The Pill both more readily available and more affordable is a great idea.
But I also think that ALL medications should be more available and affordable.