FREE THE PILL
Mother Jones|November/December 2022
The FDA is poised to approve the first over-the-counter birth control. What took so long?
JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN
FREE THE PILL

IF YOU'RE ONE of the estimated 10 million people in the United States taking oral contraception, you probably needed a prescription to get it. But that could soon change: In July, a Paris-based company, HRA Pharma, announced it asked the US Food and Drug Administration for permission to sell its progestin-only birth control pill over the counter. For the first time since its approval in 1960, the Pill may be available with no requirement to consult a health care professional-a significant hurdle for those most in need of the medication.

The US wouldn't be the first country to #FreeThePill; in fact, oral contraceptives are available without a prescription in more than 100 countries. That's because the Pill is nearly 100 percent effective when taken regularly, and safe for most people. Blood clots, a risk associated with the drug, are serious, but rare in today's formulations: Every year, between one and five out of 10,000 women who are not on hormonal birth control or pregnant experience a blood clot; for people on the combination (estrogen and progestin) pill, the risk rises to between three and nine out of 10,000 people. And there's no increased risk of clots for those on a progestin-only pill. In recent years, dozens of US medical organizations have declared support for a nonprescription pill, and an overwhelming majority of voters appear to be in favor of making the change.

Denne historien er fra November/December 2022-utgaven av Mother Jones.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra November/December 2022-utgaven av Mother Jones.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOTHER JONESSe alt
Data Blockers- Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too.
Mother Jones

Data Blockers- Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too.

Overturning Roe didn't just bludgeon abortion access. It sabotaged science, too. In early May 2022, reproductive health researcher Liz Mosley was at a dinner celebrating her first day as an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine when the news broke: A leaked draft of the Dobbs decision revealed the Supreme Court’s plan to gut abortion rights in the United States—the “worst-case scenario,” as one dinner guest put it.

time-read
5 mins  |
July/August 2024
Growing Pains - Why are governors rejecting funds for kids' summer meals?
Mother Jones

Growing Pains - Why are governors rejecting funds for kids' summer meals?

The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (EBT), the first new federal food aid initiative in decades, is a permanent extension of Congress’ Covid-era relief that sought to provide extra meals for more than 30 million school kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. But more than 10 million children will miss out this summer, according to the USDA. Thirteen other states—Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming—also chose not to enroll. And they all have something else in common: Republican governors.

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
Mission from God. Church And Statehood– A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status.
Mother Jones

Mission from God. Church And Statehood– A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status.

A new Puerto Rican political party puts faith before status. Puerto Rico’s churches, which in recent decades were mostly confined to private life, are now reshaping political dynamics. Proyecto Dignidad is a reflection of a broader populist global trend, and it draws inspiration from the Trump playbook and other domestic right-wing currents that helped him win over significant numbers of Latino voters in 2020.

time-read
6 mins  |
July/August 2024
40 Acres and a Lie
Mother Jones

40 Acres and a Lie

We compiled Reconstruction-era documents to identify 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans given land-only to have it returned to their enslavers.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
The Conversion Therapist Will See You Now
Mother Jones

The Conversion Therapist Will See You Now

The counselors once discredited for their "ex-gay" theories have rebranded. And now they're coming after trans kids.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
"I Hope My Hindsight Will Be Others' Foresight"
Mother Jones

"I Hope My Hindsight Will Be Others' Foresight"

A decade after Elliot Rodger's horrific massacre, his mother is on a quest to help threat assessment experts-and other parents-prevent the next tragedy.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
RAGING BULL DONALD TRUMP'S PUGILISTIC SPOKESMAN HAS TAKEN CAMPAIGNING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF LOW.
Mother Jones

RAGING BULL DONALD TRUMP'S PUGILISTIC SPOKESMAN HAS TAKEN CAMPAIGNING TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF LOW.

IN late February, after Donald Trump had nearly vanquished the entirety of the Republican primary field, his spokesman, Steven Cheung, took aim at the one opponent still standing. \"Birdbrain, are you a liar or just plain stupid?\" he posted on X.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July/August 2024
SAVED
Mother Jones

SAVED

Finding self-love after Christian conversion therapy

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
WHAT WE ARE OWED
Mother Jones

WHAT WE ARE OWED

Technology and genealogy have made the case for reparations specific-and undeniable.

time-read
9 mins  |
July/August 2024
PARADISE STOLEN
Mother Jones

PARADISE STOLEN

Black families were cheated out of their land on Skidaway Island. Now it's a wealthy white enclave

time-read
7 mins  |
July/August 2024