Is California’s new law a win for reproductive rights?


Screen Shot 2016-01-24 at 4.01.23 PMThe past year proved to be a tumultuous year for women’s reproductive rights. From congressional debates to Planned Parenthood attacks, nothing was off the table. But early 2016 has already promised new changes, as Oregon and, more recently, California have ceded authority back to women by making birth control pills available over the counter. In the United States, this unprecedented move to forgo the prescription process is an important step for those who do not have access to doctors but have a need for contraception. While the debate for women’s reproductive rights continues, it is imperative that states are taking matters into their own hands.

The current system in the United States allows females to use oral contraceptives only with a prescription. However, this practice rests on two false assumptions: that women see doctors regularly and that they have health insurance. Proper medical attention is a luxury, not a right, and impoverished neighborhoods are often left unprepared. Women in these areas, as a result, often do not have health insurance. The Census Bureau claims that approximately 10.4 percent of the population was uninsured the 2014 calendar year, whereas impoverished populations were 19.3 percent uninsured. For the women in these communities, getting prescriptions is not an easy task; they must go to a doctor, who they may not see regularly, and ask for a prescription, which they then must spend money on. Over-the-counter pills increase accessibility and thus increase opportunities for women to protect themselves and their bodies.

A key motivator in this law is the influence that the pills would have on the health care sector. Intuitively, it makes sense that access to contraceptives would drive down the number of unintended pregnancies, reducing the number of abortions. But what isn’t nearly as intuitive is just how effective the practice is. In a study conducted at Washington University of St. Louis, 9,000 women who normally lack access to such contraceptives were given the opportunity to use any contraceptives of their choice — for free. After some time, the patients were observed, and researchers found that there were only 4.4 to 7.5 abortions per 1,000 live births, as compared to 13.4 to 17 abortions in the area. This decrease bodes well for the U.S. healthcare system. As contraceptives reduce the number of abortions, they also alleviate the significant burden of abortions on the healthcare system, which currently cost the country $11 billion in taxpayer money per year.

Currently, much of the money allotted toward this cause is being spent on reactive measures that do little to stop unwanted pregnancies from occurring repeatedly. Instead, the money that is saved from reduced abortion rates should be spent on other preventative measures. One major critique of this statewide plan is that over-the-counter pills could prove to be costly since the Affordable Care Act does not require coverage of over-the-counter medicine. Yet there is an easy solution for this problem that requires some faith in the system: money that is saved from unwanted abortions could help fund contraceptives in the future, essentially subsidizing the costs. And since the Affordable Care Act’s health coverage cannot often provide relief to fund contraceptives, the possible subsidy would help people also covered by the ACA. While the policy is only hitting state legislature, this first step could begin a movement that extends through the nation, eventually hitting Washington, D.C., much like marriage equality did in 2015.

The United States, surprisingly, is one of the last 45 countries in the world to still require a doctor’s approval to use birth control, and with around half of the annual pregnancies being unintended, it is high time that we usher in the rights that all women deserve. So while these laws may only be taking action in California and Oregon, the attention the states will gain for the issue will only help the case for reproductive rights.