Despite the fact that birth control pills are often linked to many adverse health effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlighted Opill, the first over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill in the United States.
On June 13, Thursday, the FDA followed the suggestion of so-called expert advisers who recommended back in May that the agency grant OTC sale or nonprescription approval to Opill despite questions raised over the data on its proper use. The approval of Opill significantly expands women's access to contraception throughout the country.
For years, medical societies and advocacy groups have called for birth control to be available over-the-counter like in countries such as Greece and South Korea. The push intensified in 2022 when the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion, leaving decisions on abortion's legality to the states.
Perrigo, Opill's manufacturer, explained that the birth control drug would be available for purchase over the counter by early 2024.
Seventeen advisers to the FDA voted unanimously in May to make Opill available over the counter despite the issues brought up by the agency concerning data Perrigo submitted with its application.
The data presented included a study, which found that many volunteers reported taking more pills than they were dispensed. The agency also questioned if younger women and those with limited literacy could follow the dosing directions, noting that researchers could have used methods that exaggerated positive results.
Pro-life groups advise against approval of Opill for OTC sale
In 2022, several groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to warn the experts advising the FDA that they strongly oppose the nonprescription availability of Opill. On June 13, the Catholic Medical Association said the agency's decision was "deeply concerning."
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, an anti-abortion group, said the FDA's decision was dangerous. Hawkins added that it might not be safe for young people to have access to oral contraceptives without consulting a medical provider and being evaluated for underlying health issues that Opill could worsen. (Related: Birth control pills found to increase the likelihood of ischemic stroke in women.)
The experts advising the FDA claimed that the benefits of making Opill available over the counter exceeded any risks and that its safety had been established for decades.
The FDA first approved Opill for prescription use in 1973, but it wasn't marketed in America.
Opill, a progestin-based contraceptive, is marketed as an alternative to abortion because it supposedly prevents pregnancies rather than ends them. But pro-life groups have warned of Opill's abortifacient potential.
Dr. Donna Harrison of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists warned that numerous studies have shown that if abortifacients like Opill are taken within two to five days before egg release is due to happen, "the interference with the LH signal prevents a woman from releasing an egg – no fertilization happens and no embryo is formed."
However, if the pill is taken during the "two-day window in which embryos can form but positive pregnancy tests don't occur," then multiple studies have indicated that it "has a likely embryocidal effect in stopping pregnancy."
Learn about the adverse side effects contraceptives at DangerousMedicine.com.
Watch the video below to learn more about the dangerous side effects of birth control.
This video is from the Tammy Cuthbert Garcia channel on Brighteon.com.
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‘Horrible idea’: First vaccine for birth control now in clinical trials.
How to recover from birth control and the damage it does to your system.
The hidden dangers of birth control pills doctors don't want you to know.
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