FDA panel backs over-the-counter sales of birth control pill
May 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a decades-old birth control pill should be sold without a prescription, paving the way for a likely U.S. approval of the first over-the-counter contraceptive medication.
Over-the-counter birth control pill faces FDA questions
May 5, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are weighing the first-ever request to make a birth control pill available without a prescription.
NY governor signs bill expanding access to contraceptives
May 2, 2023 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New Yorkers next year won't have to go through their doctors to get prescription contraceptives under a bill that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law Tuesday as part of her administration's efforts to expand reproductive rights in the state.
Indiana governor signs bill easing birth control access
May 1, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Women in Indiana will be able to obtain birth control without a doctor’s prescription under a bill signed into law Monday, which grants broader access to contraception months after the Republican-dominated legislature enacted a statewide abortion ban.
A look at key issues during Indiana’s legislative session
April 28, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana General Assembly concluded the year’s regular session early Friday. Here are some key issues debated during the nearly four-month session:
TAXING MATTERS
Legislators approved speeding up individual income tax rate cuts that were first approved a year ago.
Indiana birth control bills move with abortion ban in flux
April 14, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana residents could have access to birth control without a doctor's prescription under a bill state lawmakers sent to the governor Tuesday, a move proponents say will prevent unwanted pregnancies in a state that passed an abortion ban last summer.
The implications of Walgreens’ decision on abortion pills
March 3, 2023 GMTWalgreens says it will not start selling an abortion pill in 20 states that had warned of legal consequences if it did so.
The drugstore chain’s announcement Thursday signals that access to mifepristone may not expand as broadly as federal regulators intended in January, when they finalized a rule change allowing more pharmacies to provide the pill.
Jill Biden talks safe sex, condoms with Kenya’s young adults
February 25, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — It was a Saturday of learning for U.S. first lady Jill Biden in Kenya.
She praised young adults for learning about safe sex and dating practices, attended a meeting of women who created their own banking system and chatted with local entrepreneurs who have been helped by a program that connects tractor owners and farmers.
Indiana lawmakers look to broaden birth control access
February 7, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers this session are eyeing ways to expand contraceptive access to prevent unintended pregnancies in the state after the Republican-led Legislature pushed through an abortion ban this past summer.
NJ law permits certain birth control without prescription
January 13, 2023 GMTTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Certain kinds of birth control will no longer require a prescription in New Jersey under a new law Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed Friday.
Self-administered hormonal contraceptives like the pill, patch and ring won't require a prescription from a health care provider under the measure.
Birth control ruling to see fresh scrutiny at Texas Capitol
January 10, 2023 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Samantha Sorsby-Jones watched friends at her Texas high school go to great lengths to get birth control: Secretly arranging rides to clinics that didn’t require parental consent and hiding phones in bushes in case parents were tracking them.
France to make condoms free for anyone under 25, Macron says
December 9, 2022 GMTPARIS (AP) — France will make condoms free in pharmacies for anyone up to age 25 in the new year, President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday.
The move comes as the government says sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among young people, and as this year’s exceptional inflation is cutting especially deeply into the budgets of France’s poorest.
Abortion clinic that opened days after Roe fell is inundated
November 4, 2022 GMTKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — When Planned Parenthood decided four years ago to open a new clinic in a medically underserved working-class neighborhood here, it envisioned a place that would save women living nearby from having to take hourslong bus rides to obtain birth control, testing or an abortion.
At Georgia debate, Abrams and Kemp clash on abortion, crime
October 18, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams painted different visions for the future of Georgia, clashing on the economy, crime, voting and education as they debated Monday night after more than 100,000 Georgians swarmed to the polls of the first day of early voting.
Loretta Lynn’s songs resonate anew amid abortion debate
October 6, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Loretta Lynn, the Grammy-winning country music icon who died Tuesday at 90, lived through — and sang about — decades of advancements for women's social movements, achievements now endangered.
Idaho universities disallow abortion, contraception referral
September 27, 2022 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — Public universities in Idaho are warning staffers not to refer students to abortion providers or tell them how to get emergency contraception because they could be charged with a felony, and one is barring employees from recommending birth control, as well.
Teen interest in long-lasting birth control soars after Roe
September 27, 2022 GMTSixteen-year-old Adismarys Abreu had been discussing a long-lasting birth control implant with her mother for about a year as a potential solution to increasing menstrual pain.
Then Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Abreu joined the throng of teens rushing to their doctors as states began to ban or severely limit abortion.
EXPLAINER: ‘Morning after pill’ not always option after rape
September 11, 2022 GMTMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Some leaders in states with strict abortion bans say exceptions for rape or incest victims aren’t needed because emergency contraceptives can be used instead.
College students return to campus without access to abortion
August 23, 2022 GMTBLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Students returning to college are confronting a new reality in states such as Texas, Ohio and Indiana: Abortion, an option for an unplanned pregnancy when they were last on campus, has since been banned, often with few exceptions.
Missouri Dems seek contraception, ectopic pregnancy session
July 11, 2022 GMTTwo leading Democratic Missouri lawmakers on Monday asked the state’s Republican governor to call a special session to pass legislation that would safeguard contraception and medical treatment for ectopic pregnancies after a near total ban on abortion was instituted.
Over-the-counter birth control? Drugmaker seeks FDA approval
July 11, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, a pharmaceutical company has asked for permission to sell a birth control pill over the counter in the U.S.
HRA Pharma’s application on Monday sets up a high-stakes decision for health regulators amid legal and political battles over women’s reproductive health.
If Roe falls, some fear repercussions for reproductive care
May 23, 2022 GMTIf the Supreme Court follows through on overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion likely will be banned or greatly restricted in about half the U.S. states. But experts and advocates fear repercussions could reach even further, affecting care for women who miscarry, couples seeking fertility treatments and access to some forms of contraception.
SC bill allowing birth control without prescription advances
April 23, 2022 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Supporters of a bill to allow women to get birth control pills at South Carolina pharmacies without a doctor's prescription are trying to get it passed before this year's session ends.
Lawmakers consider proposal to expand birth control access
March 20, 2022 GMTPROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Lawmakers in Rhode Island are considering a proposal to allow pharmacists to give people birth control without authorization from a doctor.
Rhode Island's House of Representatives approved a bill last week that would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control.
Birth control without prescription now available in NC
February 1, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Women in North Carolina are now able to obtain birth control pills and patches at a pharmacy without a prescription, thanks to a new legal provision that took effect Tuesday.
Group of SC senators set to discuss total abortion ban
January 22, 2022 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A group of state senators are getting ready to hear from the public on a bill that would ban all abortions in South Carolina if the U.S.
France to offer free birth control to all women up to 25
September 9, 2021 GMTPARIS (AP) — France will offer free birth control to all women up to age 25 starting next year, the health minister announced Thursday.
The measure will also include free medical visits about contraception, and will start Jan.
Colorado bill would give free contraceptives to immigrants
May 27, 2021 GMTDENVER (AP) — A Colorado bill would provide free contraceptives and reproductive care to people living in the U.S. illegally.
The legislation, heard by the House Health and Insurance committee Wednesday, aims to create a reproductive health care program within the state health department to provide contraceptives, management of birth control products or devices and counseling to people who do not qualify for Medicaid because of their citizenship or immigration status.
Nevada Senate passes proposal to expand birth control access
April 20, 2021 GMTCARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada state Senate on Monday voted unanimously in favor of a proposal to allow pharmacists to provide patients birth control without authorization from a doctor or health care provider with a traditional prescription pad...
SC considers bill letting pharmacists give birth control
March 5, 2021 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill that would allow pharmacists to directly give birth control to women in South Carolina without a prescription is heading to the Senate floor...
China denies coercive birth control measures in Xinjiang
January 11, 2021 GMTBEIJING (AP) — A Chinese official on Monday denied Beijing has imposed coercive birth control measures among Muslim minority women, following an outcry over a tweet by the Chinese Embassy in Washington claiming that government polices had freed women of the Uighur ethnic group from being “baby-making machines...
Texas education board set to revise sex education curriculum
November 20, 2020 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — In the first changes to the sex education curriculum in Texas in more than 20 years, the State Board of Education on Friday approved teaching middle schoolers about birth control but decided against providing students with information on consent, sexual orientation and gender identity...
Sanger’s name to be dropped from NYC clinic over eugenics
July 21, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Planned Parenthood of Greater New York will remove the name of pioneering birth control advocate Margaret Sanger from its Manhattan health clinic because of her “harmful connections to the eugenics movement,” the group announced on Tuesday...
Washington lawmakers react to Supreme Court ruling that lets employers opt out of birth control coverage
July 9, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON – In a ruling issued Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld a Trump administration policy that lets employers opt out of a requirement under the Affordable Care Act to provide health insurance that includes contraceptive coverage.
Court: Some employers can refuse to offer free birth control
July 9, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled broadly Wednesday in favor of the religious rights of employers in two cases that could leave more than 70,000 women without free contraception and tens of thousands of people with no way to sue for job discrimination...
Calls for UN probe of China forced birth control on Uighurs
July 1, 2020 GMTPoliticians around the world have called for a United Nations probe into a Chinese government birth control campaign targeting largely Muslim minorities in the far western region of Xinjiang, even as Beijing said it treats all ethnicities equally under the law...
China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization
June 30, 2020 GMTThe Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children.
China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress population
June 29, 2020 GMTThe Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children...
China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization
June 29, 2020 GMTThe Chinese government is taking draconian measures to slash birth rates among Uighurs and other minorities as part of a sweeping campaign to curb its Muslim population, even as it encourages some of the country’s Han majority to have more children.
US regulators approve new type of contraceptive gel
May 22, 2020 GMTU.S. regulators on Friday approved a birth control gel that works in a new way to prevent pregnancy...
AP Courtside: Who flushed? Phone arguments’ unresolved issue
May 7, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court held Day Three of arguments by telephone with the Full Coverage: U.S. Supreme Court
Justices wary of ‘Obamacare’ birth control coverage changes
May 6, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed concerned Wednesday about the sweep of Trump administration rules that would allow more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women as required by the Affordable Care Act...
Abortion clinics: Pandemic boosts demand, heightens stress
April 13, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic...
Coronavirus baby boom another curve that could be flattened
March 18, 2020 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Millions of romantic partners, cooped up together for weeks or months, with little to do other than watch reruns and play board games...
Court to look anew at health care law birth control rules
January 17, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider allowing the Trump administration to enforce rules that allow more employers to deny insurance coverage for contraceptives to women...
Christian pregnancy centers to offer women contraceptives
November 15, 2019 GMTAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Planned Parenthood gave up roughly $60 million when it left a federal family planning program this year in opposition to a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions...
Trump officials shuffle funds to cover family planning gaps
September 30, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials said Monday they're redirecting nearly $34 million to cover gaps in access to birth control for low-income women after Trump administration abortion restrictions led to an exodus of clinics from the federal family planning program...
Wisconsin Republicans pushing broader birth control access
August 14, 2019 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin found themselves in the unusual position Wednesday of breaking with anti-abortion groups and advocating for a bill that broadens birth control access, an area where Democrats typically lead...
Rep. Pressley: Bill would ease access to birth control pills
June 15, 2019 GMTBOSTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is working with other Democratic members of Congress to push legislation aimed at making it easier and less expensive to obtain birth control pills...
Correction: Birth Control-Prescriptions story
May 17, 2019 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — In a story May 14 about a bill that would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control, The Associated Press, relying on information provided by the bill sponsors, reported erroneously that Wisconsin law currently allows only doctors to prescribe hormonal birth control...
Federal judge blocks Trump’s birth control rules nationwide
January 14, 2019 GMTA federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked President Trump's push to exempt a range of companies and religious nonprofits from an Obama-era mandate to insure birth control or submit their objections in writing.
Trump birth control coverage rules blocked nationwide
January 14, 2019 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday put a nationwide hold on Trump administration rules that allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control...
Judge: Women would lose birth control coverage under rules
January 12, 2019 GMTOAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A "substantial number" of women would lose birth control coverage under new rules by the Trump administration that allow more employers to opt out of providing the benefit, a U...
Court: Trump can’t let companies deny birth control coverage
December 14, 2018 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A divided U.S. appeals court Thursday blocked rules by the Trump administration that allowed more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control...
Lawyers seek end to birth-control mandate battle: ‘Stop fighting nuns’
November 8, 2018 GMTLawyers for Catholic nuns who challenged the Obama-era "contraception mandate" cheered the Trump administration's expanded carve-out Thursday, saying they hoped the final rules would end "a long and unnecessary culture war fight."
Bayer to stop sales of birth control device tied to injuries
July 20, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of a permanent contraceptive implant subject to thousands of injury reports and repeated safety restrictions by regulators said Friday that it will stop selling the device in the U...
Abortion-rights bloc to fight after pregnancy center ruling
June 27, 2018 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In effectively knocking down a California law aimed at regulating anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, the U...
Trump remaking federal policy on women’s reproductive health
May 30, 2018 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Step by methodical step, the Trump administration is remaking government policy on reproductive health — moving to limit access to birth control and abortion and bolstering abstinence-only sex education...
Lawsuits target Trump administration family planning policy
May 2, 2018 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Two major organizations that promote birth control filed lawsuits in federal court Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from shifting national family planning policy to stress abstinence and potentially limit counseling for adolescents...