Right when the battle over reproductive rights seemed to be moving heavily in favor of those promoting bans and regression to earlier times, the FDA is expanding access to birth control in the U.S.
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Opill, a drug made by Irish manufacturer Perrigo Company, as the first over-the-counter birth-control pill to be available in the U.S. It won't happen overnight: It's not expected to be available until 2024 in the States. But in simply approving the drug being available without a prescription, the FDA could effectively be expanding access to contraception for many, many Americans.
But how much will it cost? The company says only that it will make the pill "accessible and affordable to women and people of all ages" and that it would offer an assistance program to provide it free to some.
Related: Men Should Be Louder Than Women in the Fight for Abortion Rights
In preventing pregnancy, the pill is more effective than condoms, spermicide and, of course, the pull-out-and-pray methods of birth control. Groups including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians have been pushing for a non-prescription contraceptive pill, the New York Times reports.
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What does this mean for a man like you? Apart from the inherent relief you should feel that the women in your life have another option to take control of their own bodies without government oversight, it means you will be able to purchase the pill for the first time, since it won't require a prescription. We're not saying you should make it an anniversary gift or anything (at least stick those pills in a nice bouquet of roses), but it will be one more way to support the woman in your life you're having sex with and hope to not impregnate. Be responsible!
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