20 ways OTC birth control pills change the game

We’ll tell it to you straight: we stan the birth control pill (sometimes called “the pill"). She really has been THAT girl for over 60 years now. And for 20 of those years, the Free the Pill campaign has been working to make the birth control pill over the counter (OTC). And…it finally happened! Opill, a progestin-only birth control pill, is officially available over the counter. This is a massive win, no doubt. But it’s also just the beginning of increasing birth control access for everyone. We’re thinking bigger: more access to birth control for more people + even more birth control pill options OTC = true equal access. So to celebrate how far we’ve come and daydream about where we can go in the future, we’re highlighting 20 ways the over-the-counter birth control pill makes life easier, better, and more equitable.

1. Imagine a world where the birth control pill is legit grab ‘n go—no more waiting in that long pharmacy line.
2. You can add the pill to your shopping list and self-checkout like a pro. (Yapping with the cashier: optional)
3. You can pick up some bodega or corner store snacks and restock the BC pill supply for you and your roomie.
4. Our rural baddies can save a trip or two just to get their birth control. With the OTC birth control pill, the days of driving miles for a doctor’s appointment just to get a prescription and the extra drive to the pharmacy to pick it up are over.
5. Say goodbye to the mental gymnastics of appointment scheduling just to get your birth control pill refill.
6. TFW you forget your birth control pills at home while travelling but remember you can bop into a grocery store, pharmacy, or big box store to restock. Welcome, sweet relief. 😌
7. Gen Alpha can hop off the struggle bus. Whole generations will grow up seeing OTC birth control pills on store shelves as ordinary as condoms and lube.
8. Birth control pills being over the counter allows more people to avoid interactions with our health care system, which can be complicated, risky, or unsafe for certain communities. Young people, BIPOC, fat folks, enby (aka nonbinary) and trans folks, and undocumented people who often face bias will have easier access to birth control.
   
9. If you’re on your parent’s insurance, OTC birth control pills mean more privacy. No more having to explain the decisions you make for your body. (And if you need help paying, there are programs that can help with the cost of OTC birth control pills.)
10. Birth control pills being OTC is another way we can throw fatphobia in the trash. Fat folks deserve access to birth control, free of other people’s moral high ground or opinions of their body.
11. You get to decide when, where, and how you get your birth control—not your provider, parents, or random politician.
12. One less visit to the doctor’s office means more time for watching Love Island. (Just us? 👀)
13. We want to live in a world where there are more options for birth control over the counter than there are 🍆 pills.
14. Young people don’t have to hear they’re not “old enough” or “responsible enough” to take care of themselves.
15. OTC birth control pills means less people in your business.
16. You don’t need permission to make decisions about your body, your sexual health, or your life. PERIOD.
17. Life is hard enough. Birth control access doesn’t have to be, too.
18. Not needing to see a health provider when you simply just want a birth control pill to manage your periods or acne.
19. Options = freedom. With more birth control OTC, you’re even more in control of your own body.
20. We’re one step closer to birth control finally being seen as a normal part of everyday life, and not some moral debate.

We’re thrilled that Opill is now on store shelves. And it’s just the beginning. Let’s keep fighting for a future where everyone has access to birth control—free of judgement.