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SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A proposal that would allow women to get birth control directly from a pharmacist without a doctor's prescription stalled Friday when a committee chair decided to convene a study group instead of moving the legislation forward.
Republican Rep. Knute Buehler previously proposed allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense contraception to women. He said the move would eliminate a current inconsistency that allows pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception but not preventative measures.
Under the bill, pharmacists could choose not to prescribe the contraceptive for ethical, moral or religious reasons.
"It's clear from the scientific literature and best practices that over-the-counter birth control significantly improves women's health and reduces unintended pregnancies by up to 25 percent," said Buehler, an orthopedic surgeon from Bend.
House Committee on Health Care Chair Rep. Mitch Greenlick said the issue needs further discussion, and he formed a work group that could propose potential legislation in the future.
The proposal would have "moved pharmacists out into the prescribing world in a much more robust way," said Greenlick, a Portland Democrat.
Buehler and Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Eugene, will co-chair the work group.
If it eventually passes, Oregon would become the second state, behind California, to expand access to birth control without a prescription, he said.
In 2012, the nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists said birth control pills should be sold over the counter like condoms.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reaffirmed that opinion in 2014, saying unintended pregnancies remains a major public health problem in the U.S.
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HB 2028
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