Bill seeks guaranteed contraception access
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Legislation offered May 13 would establish requirements for pharmacies to ensure provision of FDA-approved contraception, including Teva Pharmaceutical's nonprescription Plan B One-Step and generic levonorgestrel. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced the House version of the Access to Birth Control Act, H.R. 5309, and said the "bill would prevent a pharmacy from standing between a patient and her doctor" by prohibiting refusals to dispense drugs on religious grounds. Introduced in the Senate as S. 3357 by Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., the bill would require an out-of-stock pharmacy to help consumers obtain contraception via order, referral or transferred prescription. The American Medical Association previously supported legislation compelling pharmacists to provide appropriate birth control access (1"The Tan Sheet" June 27, 2005)