In order to enforce the age restriction, the agency also ordered that Plan B be stocked behind pharmacy counters, in contrast to other over-the-counter contraceptives like condoms.
Mr. Jindal's proposal for over-the-counter contraceptives is an excellent policy objective, but it is likely to take years of study before the Food and Drug Administration could clear such sales.
"It's the first step, I believe, to true over-the-counter contraceptives," Rabin said.
The ACA does require private insurance plans to cover over-the-counter contraceptives including sponges and spermicides, but only with a doctor's prescription.
Nielson said sales of over-the-counter contraceptives jumped a dazzling 10.2percentt in the first two months of the year.
Interest in obtaining over-the-counter contraceptive pills – both emergency and non-emergency – has been strong since the early 2000s.
The UCS study also maintains that the Administration distorted scientific findings on topics ranging from West Virginia strip mining to a new over-the-counter contraceptive pill and endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest.
The American Association for Family Physicians and the Guttmacher Institute also support over-the-counter contraceptive pills.
The program trains young people to provide their peers with basic contraceptive counseling and consistent access to over-the-counter contraceptive methods.
The Contraception Equity Act requires insurance companies to cover over-the-counter emergency contraceptives, and women won't need pre-authorization from their insurers to get an IUD.
ACOG announced first announced its support for over-the-counter oral contraceptives in 2012, citing 33 studies to support the move and explaining that screenings for cervical cancer and sexually transmitted infections are not medically necessary to provide the pills.
