Contraceptives in the United States of America

Restrictive abortion laws in the United States could make the cheap and widely available contraceptive pill a hit on the market there. The decision to approve oral contraceptives will be made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So far, FDA advisers have recommended that Perrigo Co.’s Opill oral contraceptive be available without a prescription. Apart from the issue of affordability – the monthly cost is a maximum of $ 10 – an over-the-counter medicine may increase the number of women using it who, for whatever reason, cannot or do not want to see a doctor about contraception.

Decades of research have proven birth control pills’ safety, effectiveness and ease of use. The FDA first approved oral contraceptives in 1960. By 2005, more than 500 million women worldwide were estimated to be using hormonal contraceptives. About one in four American women aged 15 to 44 who use contraception choose oral contraceptives.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, two-thirds of Americans say the abortion drug Mifepristone, used in most abortions in the United States, should remain on the market. The drug is at the centre of an escalating legal dispute. The U.S. Supreme Court retained full access to Mifepristone in April, suspending a lower court ruling that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) erred in making the drug more widely available.