“For too long, barriers to birth control, including the prescription requirement, have prevented people from getting the contraceptive care they need.” - usatoday.com/story/news/nat #FreeThePill
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Guttmacher Institute
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Official account of Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual & reproductive health & rights globally. Est. 1968.
Guttmacher Institute’s Tweets
A big step in the right direction! The final FDA decision is expected in late summer and the evidence is crystal clear—Opill should be approved for over-the-counter status without an age restriction. #FreeThePill
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In a landmark achievement for reproductive justice, a joint FDA advisory committee voted today to UNANIMOUSLY support a progestin-only birth control pill to be offered over-the-counter (OTC)!
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Major medical associations agree: birth control pills should be available over the counter for ALL AGES #FreeThePill
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It's inspiring to hear many of the adolescent health experts on the FDA advisory committee speak clearly about how appropriate this OTC oral contraceptive is for young people.
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Dr. Anna Glasier says data shows that people aren't 100% perfect at taking birth control pills even when they're prescribed by doctors. One study even sent people daily reminders and still a lot of them missed some pills. Prescriptions don't = perfect adherence
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Amazing the skepticism today focused on how people need doctors to learn how to take birth control pills.
Hah! Testimony from real people show doctors uncomfortable talking about sex or even refusing to prescribe, let alone explaining how they work... #FreeThePill
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Now we're hearing from a representative from @drsforamerica who is sharing a story about a teen patient who was denied a birth control prescription by her pediatrician. "Physicians are failing in this area," she says.
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ICYMI: This week is reviewing the first-ever application for an OTC birth control pill—the result of tireless efforts by advocates. As our expert Megan Kavanagh notes, an OTC pill w/o age restrictions would bolster contraceptive access for many more people! #FreeThePill
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Reminder as FDA review of the first-ever application for an over-the-counter birth control pill continues today: BC pills are safe and effective, and having them OTC would break down critical barriers to contraceptive access in the US. #FreeThePill
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Good morning, everyone! , RNG's senior multiplatform reporter, here again today with live updates from the second and final day of FDA advisory committee hearings on OTC birth control.
The meeting starts momentarily and ends at 1:30pm ET.
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Birth control pills are safe + effective for young people, but they face additional access barriers - that's why we MUST #FreeThePill for people of ALL ages. Thank you to all the youth activists who shared their testimony w/ FDA advisers yesterday!
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Here's what we know about young people and birth control access:
Research shows young people can safely AND effectively take daily birth control
Medical orgs like @SAHMtweets & @NASPAG support bringing birth control OTC for people of ALL ages
It's time to #FreeThePill
Research shows young people can safely AND effectively take daily birth control
Medical orgs like @SAHMtweets & @NASPAG support bringing birth control OTC for people of ALL ages
It's time to #FreeThePill2
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📢 Let's make something clear: Whether it's at 6 or 12 weeks—all abortion bans are extreme because they limit people's access to health care and restrict bodily autonomy.
Anti-abortion policymakers in NE are committed to restricting care. This is a stepping stone to a total ban.
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After failing to ban abortion last month, Nebraska lawmakers have introduced an amendment to an anti-trans bill that could restrict abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The catch? No public hearings or testimony. apnews.com/article/nebras4
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Megan Kavanaugh of is talking now. She says young people have the MOST to gain from OTC birth control. Most adolescents use contraception. Research shows that increased availability of contraception does NOT increase sexual activity among young people, she says.
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For more on the benefits of over-the-counter access to birth control pills, read Dr. Kavanaugh's full testimony ⬇ #FreeThePill
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The science is clear: Making #BirthControl pills available OTC without age restrictions would be a public health win and a game changer for access.
OTC pills should also be fully covered by insurance without a prescription.
We urge to take action now. #FreeThePill
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Dozens of studies also show that increasing young people’s access to #BirthControl *does not* increase their sexual activity.
Between 2007—2014, adolescents were using more effective methods & using them more consistently—all while sexual activity rates remained unchanged.
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We know that young people face critical barriers to contraception. Still, the most recent data show that most adolescents used #BirthControl the first time they had sex and the most recent time. #FreeThePill
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During today's FDA advisory committee meeting, our expert Dr. Kavanaugh will share the latest data on adolescents’ contraceptive needs. Gaining access to an over-the-counter #BirthControl pill would be crucial to young people's health & autonomy ⬇ #FreeThePill
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⚡️PHYSICIANS HAVE SOME HOT TAKES:
🪩Birth control should be available over the counter.
🪩There is no medical reason that it is currently not over the counter.
🪩We should trust people, including teens, to make decisions about their lives, bodies, and futures.
#FreeThePill
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We demand a decision that guarantees #JusticiaParaBeatriz. Her story is that of many Latin American and Caribbean women who suffer the consequences of the absolute criminalization of abortion.
Find out more: justiciaparabeatriz.org/en/historia/
#BeatrizQueriaVivi #AbortionIsHealthcare
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The fight for reproductive freedom is global. That's why I introduced H.Con.Res 39, a resolution in solidarity with feminists in El Salvador fighting for #JusticeForBeatriz.
End the criminalization of abortion, everywhere.
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🌍 The fight for reproductive rights knows no borders. We join the global SRJRJ community in fighting to win #JusticeForBeatriz and championing the rights of people in El Salvador who need access to #SafeAbortion. Learn more: justiciaparabeatriz.org/en/historia/#J
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🚨 The case of is a tragic example of the consequences of absolute criminalization of abortion. We thank for standing in solidarity with the #JusticiaParaBeatriz movement in #ElSalvador and for introducing H.Con.Res.39: congress.gov/bill/118th-con
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RT if you agree 👉🏽👉🏼: Everyone should have access to the reproductive health care they want & need–including contraception–whoever they are & wherever they live. #FreeThePill
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Birth control pills have a strong record of safety and efficacy. 60+ years of research make them one of the most studied medicines, and 100+ countries already have them over-the-counter (OTC). It’s time for the US to #FreeThePill
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Barriers to #BirthControl fall harder on Black, Indigenous & other people of color, young people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, those working to make ends meet & people with disabilities.
📣 We must make contraceptive care fully accessible & equitable for ALL.
#FreeThePill
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The Rx requirement for birth control pills makes it harder for people to access the care they DESERVE.
It's #FreeThePill Day & we're calling on ’s advisors to consider the safety + efficacy of BC pills AND the broad public health benefits of greater contraceptive access.
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Here's what the medical professionals have to say ⬇️
Progestin-only birth control pills are safe and effective, and people want over-the-counter access to them. Period. #FreeThePill
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Birth control pills have a strong record of safety and efficacy. 60+ years of research make them one of the most studied medicines, and 100+ countries already have them over-the-counter (OTC). It’s time for the US to #FreeThePill! 📣📣📣
#birthcontrol #birthcontrolpill #otc
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There are SO MANY barriers to getting a prescription for #BirthControl pills in the U.S., including:
💰Cost of a health care provider visit
➡️ Insurance coverage
🚍 Transportation
➡️ Access to childcare
💼 Ability to take time off work/school
It’s time to #FreeThePill! 💊
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This year we’re calling for FDA approval of the first-ever application for an OTC #BirthControl pill—but we won’t stop there. Any OTC birth control pill must also be:
✅ covered by insurance
✅ affordable
✅ available to people of all ages
#FreeThePill
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Today is reviewing the *first-ever* application for an over-the-counter birth control pill! Our expert Megan Kavanaugh will testify w/ other #ReproHealth leaders on benefits of OTC access, especially for young people.
🔴 Livestream: youtube.com/live/qsGSDRoLC
#FreeThePill
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It’s #FreeThePill Day! We’re calling for a future where everyone can make their own #ReproHealth decisions & access essential care—including contraception. It’s time for an over-the-counter #BirthControl pill that’s fully covered by insurance & available without age restrictions!
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Meanwhile, in the first state to ban abortion after Dobbs …
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Missouri Senate Update: With only 5 days left in the legislative session, all business has come to a halt in the Senate as MAGA Republican Mike Moon filibusters in protest of Democrats passing a bill to give healthcare to new moms. #moleg
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All people should have the tools and resources they need to plan their futures—including access to the birth control method of their choice—free from barriers or stigma. That’s why we must #FreeThePill.
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I’m looking forward to telling the FDA today why I support OTC birth control pills. As an adolescent medicine doctor I’ve cared for many young people and I know that youth need access to contraception without unnecessary barriers. It’s time to #FreeThePill
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Today, the @US_FDA’s advisory committee is meeting to review the first-ever application for an OTC birth control pill! The evidence is clear: BC pills are safe + effective and having them OTC would break down barriers to access in the US. #FreeThePill
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#FreeThePill, support adolescents' access to OTC contraception, and improve their reproductive autonomy. #TrustTeens
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To create a more just and equitable world, let’s improve health policies, expand
access to health care, and ensure all people can make decisions about their health
and lives with dignity and respect.
That includes working to #FreeThePill and working to get ALL #BansOffOurBodies!
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Today, the ’s advisory committee is meeting to review the first-ever application for an OTC birth control pill! The evidence is clear: BC pills are safe + effective and having them OTC would break down barriers to access in the US. #FreeThePill
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Even when Roe was in place, abortion access was out of reach for many Southerners.
With Roe overturned and bans clustered in the South, accessing an abortion is impossible for many-especially those marginalized by systemic racism and economic insecurity.
More ⬇️
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned the court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision last summer brought sheer panic and a sense of desperation to economically vulnerable Southerners needing an abortion. bit.ly/3LD2Nfl
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Hi. Abortion providers here.
We’re suing the FDA, along with and All Families Healthcare.
Our patients deserve better than constant chaos, confusion, and back and forth so we’re doing whatever it takes to protect them.
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The Florida reproductive rights movement's ballot initiative campaign, "Floridians Protecting Freedom", is launching to protect access to abortion and ensure our personal medical decisions are ours and ours alone to make. WOO HOO!
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