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SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon women will no longer have to visit a health clinic for a birth control prescription starting next year.
Instead, they can head straight to their pharmacist for contraception under a measure signed into law Monday by Gov. Kate Brown.
Advocates said the measure gives Oregon women the easiest access to birth control in the nation. Rep. Knute Buehler, a Bend Republican who sponsored the measure, said it gives women more control over their health care while helping prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Pharmacists will soon be able to hand over contraception after a woman completes a 20-question risk-screening assessment. The bill has won bipartisan support in the Legislature, though religious organizations have opposed it.
The measure joins another new law requiring insurance companies to cover up to 12 months of birth control at a time.
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HB 2879
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