ALBANY — New Yorkers will soon be able to access birth control at their local pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription, but it will take at least a year for the Legislature and regulatory agencies to smooth out the details.
The Birth Control Access Act, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, authorizes pharmacists to prescribe and distribute three forms of female contraception — the pill, the patch and the ring — by creating a statewide standing order for the medication.
It’s touted as part of the state’s response to the federal government overturning Roe v. Wade last year, which restricted access to abortion and reproductive health care in other parts of the country.
The current number of contraceptive providers per person in New York ranks near the bottom in the country, alongside Texas and Louisiana; allowing pharmacists to provide prescriptions for patients has the potential to more than double the number of contraceptive providers in New York. At least 20 other states have already enacted similar legislation.
“As anti-choice extremists and judges continue to roll back abortion rights across the country, we are fighting back here in New York,” Hochul said. “Under my watch, I will continue to ensure that New York remains a safe harbor for those in need of care.”
Set to go into effect in 18 months, the state Department of Health is now tasked with developing guidelines to train pharmacists on screening patients and dispensing birth control.
There is no age limit on who can obtain birth control in the bill or a parental consent requirement, but consumers will likely have to fill out a short questionnaire enabling the pharmacist to guide them towards their best options.
Pharmacists welcomed the bill, which they say will expand access to birth control, particularly in rural parts of the state. But they were…
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