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BREAKING: UltraViolet Hails FDA Approval of First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill, Calls for Nationwide Availability at Retail Pharmacies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 13, 2023
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com

BREAKING: UltraViolet Hails FDA Approval of First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill, Calls for Nationwide Availability at Retail Pharmacies

WASHINGTON, DC — Earlier today, the FDA announced its approval of Opill, the nation’s first-ever over-the-counter contraceptive pill. The FDA’s decision to approve Opill comes as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals considers whether the agency has the authority to approve mifepristone, a popular abortion medication used in more than half of abortions and in nearly all medication induced abortions nationwide.

In response to the FDA’s announcement, Sonja Spoo, Political Director and Director, Government Affairs and Advocacy at UltraViolet, a leading national gender equality organization, issued the following statement:

“We are relieved by the FDA’s long-awaited approval of a new over-the-counter birth control medication, eliminating the need for a prescription. This decision will enhance access to contraception for individuals and communities previously limited in their options – and in States where the right to access reproductive care is increasingly at risk.

“Now the responsibility falls on pharmaceutical providers, like Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walmart, Costco, and Target, to declare their commitment to providing this FDA-approved medication to all customers nationwide, regardless of state boundaries – and lay our their plans to do so as soon as it becomes available in 2024.

“We must all work to make sure FDA-approved medications, particularly those that are available over the counter, are available to all people who may need them. But this is especially critical given the precariousness of reproductive healthcare in the US and ongoing deliberation by the Fifth Circuit on the FDA’s authority to approve drugs like mifepristone.

“The FDA’s approval of Opill for over-the-counter use is certainly a victory for reproductive health care access – but it must be met with the unwavering commitment of providers to offer this essential medication regardless of location.”

Earlier this year, UltraViolet urged retail pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walmart, Costco, and Target, to continue providing mifepristone to customers, and release public statements on the safety and effectiveness of the drug, in spite of questionable rulings from GOP-appointed federal judges.

UltraViolet also called on:

  • The FDA and the Biden Administration to ignore a federal district court ruling out of Amarillo, Texas banning mifepristone, arguing that a single federal district court judge should not have the power to halt a government agency’s authority, especially not over a safe, legal medication available for more than twenty years;

  • Governors to cut ties to pharmaceutical providers who refuse to dispense mifepristone, and for State Attorneys General to give assurances to providers that they will be protected from litigation if they continue to provide mifepristone;

  • All health insurance providers must cover abortion care, even in the face of this potential ban, and speak out against the ruling.

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