Mr. Shaman
Senior Member
- May 4, 2010
- 23,892
- 822
- 48
"The influential American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) officially recommended on Tuesday that birth control pills should be sold without a prescription, according to the Associated Press.
The group, which establishes industry standards for OB-GYNs, cited a number of reasons that the pills should be made more widely available, including that the most common side effects — blood clots — are extraordinarily rare and women can easily tell if they have behaviors, such as smoking, that increase the risk. They also said that while women should continue to visit doctors regularly for reproductive care, Pap smears aren’t necessary for birth control pills.
“It’s unfortunate that in this country where we have all these contraceptive methods available, unintended pregnancy is still a major public health problem,” Dr. Kavita Nanda, an OB/GYN who co-authored the recommendation, told the AP. Unintended pregnancies, ACOG estimates, cost taxpayers $11.1 billion annually."
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