Expanding Access to Birth Control Gaining Bipartisan Support in Conn.

There appears to be increasing support for Connecticut to join many other states that allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control.

The overall concept has bipartisan backing.

“Access to birth control really is a fundamental right of women,” said Sen. Heather Somers, R – Groton.

On Monday two republican state senators will speak about the bill they are co-sponsoring.

“Many face barriers in obtaining it. And this is where pharmacists can really come into play, as they are really an essential role in increasing access to women's health and birth control,” said Somers.

On what would have been the 50^th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade last month, Governor Ned Lamont announced a similar proposal.

On Sunday he wrote in part:

“At the federal level and in states across the country, a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health decisions is under attack….Expanding access to birth control gives all women – especially those in vulnerable communities – the freedom to choose how and when they want to start a family.”

“I'm in favor of carefully expanding access for important medical services like these,” said Dr. Howard Selinger, Quinnipiac University School of Medicine Chair of Family Medicine.

“It's incumbent on the person prescribing or dispensing hormonal contraception to make sure they ask all the right questions and have access to the necessary health history,” Selinger added.

We’re told both plans would mean training for pharmacists.

Republicans say with their idea interested woman would receive a quick health assessment and can discuss the pros and cons of the medication.

“The Guttmacher Institute has done some good analyses that demonstrate that the risk is very minimal. Birth control is a widely used medication,” said Dr. Jessica Holzer, University of New Haven School of Health Sciences Associate Professor.

Holzer also supports expanded access and while she’s confident pharmacists can handle prescribing a deeper conversation with a doctor is still an option.

“Certain types of birth control are not going to be available in pharmacists' offices,” Holzer said.

A lot of details are still left to be learned about the plans.

At this point it’s not clear how much agreement there might be between Lamont’s proposal and the republicans.