Should birth control be for sale over the counter?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should birth control be for sale over the counter?
Position‹2 of 2: No, OTC birth control should not be for sale
Argument‹3 of 3: Birth control increases health risks

Though birth control protects women from unwanted pregnancies, it is not effective against sexually transmitted diseases. Making birth control accessible over the counter would decrease the use of condoms, and increase the spread of STDs. Women would also be less likely to visit their OB/GYN for yearly annual check-ups.

The argument

Having birth control available over the counter may seem beneficial, but many women would be put at risk when it comes to health. Though birth control is effective in preventing pregnancy, it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. If birth control is so easily available in pharmacies, women would be less likely to use contraceptives that prevent STDs. Another concern is less frequent OB/GYN visits. In order to obtain a prescription for birth control, one must consult a doctor or an OB/GYN. Women are generally required to visit their OB/GYN once a year for their annual check-up. Annual visits to an OB/GYN include breast exams, pelvic exams, and a pap test to screen for cervical cancer. This is usually also the time when their birth control prescription is renewed for continual use. If birth control is made available over the counter, women could be more likely to skip annual visits, and would be putting themselves at great risk for health complications. Though birth control has several health benefits aside from preventing pregnancy, it would be too risky to make it available over the counter. Though it would be convenient, It would be more beneficial for women to consult a doctor before taking birth control.

Premises

[P1]Birth control prevents pregnancy but not STDs, and making it available over the counter could make women less likely to use protection against sexually transmitted diseases. [P2] Because a prescription normally requires an annual OB/GYN visit—including breast exams, pelvic exams and cervical-cancer screening—over-the-counter access could lead women to skip these check-ups and miss serious health problems. [C] Therefore, because over-the-counter birth control would increase health risks, OTC birth control should not be for sale.

Counter-arguments

Selling birth control over the counter has many benefits, even though protecting against sexually transmitted diseases is not one of them. Women take responsibility for themselves by taking birth control, and are more likely aware that it does not protect against STDs. If STD prevention is a concern, there are a variety of options available. Excluding birth control from being sold over the counter for this reason is unproductive.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The first claim is uncontested and the second does not follow from it. Hormonal contraception fails to prevent sexually transmitted infections whether it is prescribed or bought over the counter, so the premise needs evidence that removing the prescription changes condom use — a behavioural claim for which none is offered. [Rejecting P2] The link between contraception and screening is an artefact of how care has been organised rather than a clinical necessity. Cervical screening and breast examination are not required in order to prescribe the pill, and attaching an unrelated service to it uses access to one as leverage for another — which is also why the requirement operates as a barrier for women without a regular provider. Guidance has in any case moved away from routine annual pelvic examinations for well patients. [Rejecting C] The conclusion counts only one side of the risk. Removing the prescription requirement also removes an obstacle to contraception, and the health risks of unintended pregnancy are substantially greater than those of the pill for almost all users — a comparison the premises never attempt.