February 2006, Washington, DC: Messaging around OTC provision of OCs

This meeting focused on developing messaging around OTC provision of OCs in order to increase support for our efforts and bring additional perspectives to the discussion. We also invited representatives of colleague professional organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Physicians for Reproductive Choice & Health, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, Medical Students for Choice, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. A representative of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association also presented information about the criteria for OTC status and the market for OTC medicines in the U.S.

The Oral Contraceptives Over-the-Counter Working Group is now the Free the Pill coalition!

We are excited to expand our work under the Free the Pill umbrella and continue to leverage the expertise of coalition members to improve and expand equitable contraceptive access. Please visit the Free the Pill website to learn more about the coalition and how organizations and professionals can get involved.

As part of this change, the OCs OTC website has been archived and is being kept available as a historical resource to highlight the work that members of the OCs OTC Working Group have been engaged in since 2004 to build the evidence in support of OTC birth control pills in the United States. If you have any questions about the Free the Pill coalition and our work, please reach out.