Hinson Leads Effort to Expand Access to Over-the-Counter Birth Control for Adult Women

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Hinson (IA-02) introduced the bicameral Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act to expand over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives for adult women. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

“Millions of American women safely use oral contraceptives, and allowing women to access birth control pills over-the-counter at their local pharmacy just makes sense. I am proud to team up with Senator Ernst on this bill, which is particularly important for women in rural areas who may have to drive over an hour to see their doctor. While Democrats play political games, I will continue working on commonsense policy solutions and advocating for Iowa women.”  - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson 

“Whether they live in Red Oak, Iowa or Washington, D.C., women should have access to safe, effective birth control. Despite fearmongering from the far left, Republicans have solutions to support women and families. I’m proud to partner with Rep. Hinson on making those solutions a reality by increasing over-the-counter contraception options and bringing much-needed transparency and accountability to ensure the government uses tax dollars to help families.” - Senator Joni Ernst

Background:

Hinson's legislation would: 

• Enable women ages 18 and up to access FDA-approved, routine-use birth control pills over the counter 
• Require the FDA to give priority review to already-approved, safe oral contraceptives for routine use so that they can be available over the counter for adult women 
• Require the GAO to conduct a study on the amount of federal funding which has gone toward supporting increased access to contraception in the last 15 years 

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