HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill, a norgestrel birth control tablet. It’s the first daily oral contraceptive approved for use in the U.S. without a prescription.
While Opill isn’t expected to be available over the counter until the first quarter of 2024, the FDA decision may reduce barriers to birth control access by allowing individuals to obtain an oral contraceptive without needing to see a health care provider.
“Almost half of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the U.S. each year are unintended. Unintended pregnancies have been linked to negative maternal and perinatal outcomes, including reduced likelihood of receiving early prenatal care and increased risk of preterm delivery, with associated adverse neonatal, developmental and child health outcomes,” the FDA website states. “Availability of nonprescription Opill may help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and their potential negative impacts.”
Prescription requirements for birth control pills create a barrier for many women, not only because of costs, but also because women have to see a doctor and get examined first, said Jayne Flores, director of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs.
“If they don’t have health insurance, that barrier is even more pronounced,” Flores said.
She said she intends to work with the Department of Public Health and Social Services on an education campaign letting residents know that free birth control is available at the Northern Region Health Center.
According to Flores, the Public Health Family Planning Clinic at the Northern Center saw 306 patients in 2021. Of those patients, 197 were pregnant women or women seeking pregnancy, while 90 sought birth control. The most requested primary contraceptive method was the three-month hormonal injection, followed by oral contraceptives, Flores said.
“Private clinics on island do handle birth control needs. However, (that’s) mainly for insured patients,” she added.
Based on the 2021 data for the Family Planning Clinic, Flores said she believed contraception use on Guam was too low.
“There may be several reasons why, including awareness, access, affordability and the possible side effects of hormonal contraceptives,” Flores said.
Flores said she hoped Opill will have a noticeable impact. She stressed that sexually active partners still should consider the use of condoms in addition to birth control pills, to protect against sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
“We need to create an effective awareness campaign that covers family planning, pregnancy prevention and STI/STD prevention,” Flores said. “The number of children a person has affects every other decision that they make over their lifetime. Our goal is to create an effective awareness campaign about family planning, and make women and men more aware of how to prevent unplanned pregnancies.”
Dobbs decision
The FDA’s approval of Opill comes as the nation engages in broader discussions over reproductive health in light of last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned prior rulings that established the right to an abortion in the United States.
In late June, President Joe Biden signed an executive order related to reproductive health care access, the third such order since the Dobbs decision and the first focusing on protecting and expanding access to contraception.
“Contraception is an essential component of reproductive health care that has only become more important in the wake of Dobbs and the ensuing crisis in women’s access to health care,” the White House stated.
On Guam, the Dobbs decision led to court cases over efforts to revive a 30-year-old abortion ban.
While Flores and Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero have maintained that access to abortion care is essential, Flores has said abortion should be seen as a last resort against unwanted pregnancies.
Flores was in Los Angeles recently to attend a meeting of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, which she said deals with access to the full range of reproductive choices.
“Part of our meeting is to make connections with private nonprofit groups that are working across the country to expand this access, especially now, in the wake of the FDA decision to make norgestrel available as an over-the-counter medication,” Flores said.
Abortion rights activists rally in Miami on June 24, 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the right to abortion.
