You will soon be able to buy birth control without a prescription in New Jersey
New Jersey moves to allow birth control access without a prescription. And, you don’t need to be a Jersey resident to benefit from this policy.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed a bill that will let people get hormonal contraceptives, including pills, patches, and rings, without a prescription.
Until now, people in New Jersey weren’t able to access this kind of birth control without first visiting a doctor for a prescription. The governor described that situation as “an unnecessary burden on people who may be unable to afford or find the time to go to a health-care provider.”
How will the bill work?
Folks who seek to buy birth control without a prescription will be given a written questionnaire, developed by the state Department of Health, to check for health risk factors — based on CDC criteria for contraceptive use. Answers will be kept at the pharmacy as a medical record.
Meanwhile, pharmacists will have to complete a training program and follow standardized protocols set by the Board of Pharmacy and the State Board of Medical Examiners. Likewise, they will be required to offer counseling to patients before providing contraceptives.
If for any reason birth control turns out not to be recommended for a patient, pharmacists will be required to refer them to a primary care doctor or clinic.
What’s the policy in other states?
People have a constitutional right to access birth control, since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, in 1965. But it is up to the states to decide the requirements. According to the Guttmacher Institute, only 17 states and the District of Columbia allow pharmacists to provide contraceptive care, without a physician’s prescription. Prescriptions are required in Pennsylvania.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, states such as Arizona, Idaho, Florida, and Georgia have allowed pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives.
Do you need to be a New Jersey resident?
Once the bill takes effect, anyone will be able to access contraception at New Jersey pharmacies without a prescription, not just state residents.
“New Jersey has emerged as a beacon of light to people across the country fearing for their rights, for their health, for their future,” said U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D., N.J.). Ensuring folks can access prescription-free contraceptives even if they don’t live in Jersey is the next step to “help that light shine just a bit brighter.”
When does the law take effect?
It’s set to go into effect in May.