Reproductive health care advocates demand birth control injections at the pharmacy

Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul, lawmakers and reproductive health advocates celebrated the passage of a new law that made birth control available over the counter. The state officially authorized trained pharmacists to dispense contraceptives in March, with the governor making the announcement to much fanfare.

The law covers most forms of contraception — including patches, pills and rings — but it left out birth control injections, which still have to be prescribed and administered by doctors. Now, reproductive health advocates have sent a letter to state lawmakers asking them to pass legislation that would allow pharmacists to administer those injections as well.

The letter, which was shared exclusively with City & State, shows that the legislation addresses economic and racial justice in reproductive health, noting that birth control vaccines are used more often by blacks, young people and people with low incomes. “The state is making decisions about the types of birth control that can be prescribed by pharmacists and in doing so is creating a paradigm that actively disadvantages black women,” said Rochelle Rodney, co-executive director of the Birth Control Project. in NY, one of the organizations that signed the letter.

New York is one of the few states that has authorized pharmacists to administer most over-the-counter forms of birth control, but not birth control vaccines. “Again, we’re playing catch-up on this issue — a dozen states already offer patients this right. New York State should not make decisions for any patient about what type of birth control they can choose.” it says in the letter.

The measure has already passed the state Senate, but not the Assembly. Assemblyman John McDonald, a trained pharmacist who is sponsoring the Assembly version of the bill, said bills aimed at expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists and other medical professionals often move slowly in his chamber. “Our house, as a rule, is very careful to do any practical field,” he told City & State. “I would say I can understand some of that. However, one of the reasons we have a struggling health care system is because we keep building our silos higher.” McDonald said he is still trying to push his legislation before lawmakers leave for the year.

McDonald said that when the law allowing over-the-counter birth control was passed last year, some lawmakers had a hard time wrapping their minds around allowing a pharmacist to give an injection, as opposed to offering a self-administered pill or patch. . But he said the birth control injection is just an intramuscular injection, no different from the vaccines that pharmacists already administer to patients. “An IM (intramuscular) injection is an IM injection is an IM injection,” he said. People who use contraceptive injections must receive an injection every four months, and under current law, they must see a doctor to receive it each time. “There are a lot of people living in reproductive care deserts in my district, but also across the state,” said state Sen. Lea Webb, who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. “And for many individual communities, their pharmacist is their primary entry point to care.”

The last day of the scheduled legislative session is Thursday, but lawmakers — especially the Assembly — may stay until Friday or Saturday to wrap up.