Governor Whitmer Header [ [link removed] ]
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
July 11, 2022
Contact:
[email protected]
*Gov. Whitmer Calls on President Biden to Make Birth Control Available Over the Counter*
"Letter follows repeated requests to the FDA by elected officials to improve access to birth control"
"Governor, dozens of leading medical organizations urge federal executive action to reduce barrier to contraception, ensure birth control is available without prescription"
*LANSING, Mich.* — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on President Biden to make birth control available over the counter without a prescription, knocking down a costly barrier to accessing essential medication. This follows a new application with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by HRA Pharma [ [link removed] ] to make birth control available over the counter.
“We all need to get creative and use every tool in our toolbox to protect reproductive freedom in Michigan and across the United States,” said *Governor Whitmer.* “Today, I sent a letter to President Biden urging federal action to make birth control available over the counter, without a prescription. Getting this done would knock down the most costly, time-consuming barrier to obtaining birth control. In the wake of the overturn of "Roe v Wade", we must pull out all the stops to make it easier and more affordable for everyone to secure contraception and take bold steps to protect women by ensuring that health—not politics—guides medical decisions. Let’s work together so women have control over their own bodies.”
The letter can be viewed here [ [link removed] ].
*Over the Counter Birth Control*
For too many women, the need to get a prescription to obtain contraceptives creates another barrier to access. That barrier persists even though there is overwhelming evidence that birth control is safe and effective. Meanwhile, the continued prescription requirement endangers the reproductive freedom of millions of people, including 2.2 million Michigan women of reproductive age.
Moving birth control to over the counter status would also mitigate inequities in our healthcare system. Black, Latino, and immigrant women disproportionately struggle to find providers and secure a prescription for contraceptives. Nearly three dozen medical associations, representing more than a quarter million providers across the nation, support FDA review of over the counter status to enhance access to contraception medication.
*Governor Whitmer’s Actions to Protect Reproductive Freedom*
* *April 7: *Filed a lawsuit [ [link removed] ] to ask the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether Michigan’s constitution protects the right to an abortion. This legal action against the 1931 law represents the first time a governor has filed a lawsuit to protect the right to an abortion since the release of the leaked draft opinion in "Dobbs v. Jackson."
* *April 7:* Penned an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press [ [link removed] ] explaining her action and highlighting that 7 in 10 Michiganders support the rights affirmed by Roe.
* *May 3:* Joined 16 other states to urge the United States Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act [ [link removed] ] and enshrine Roe’s protections in federal law.
* *May 9:* Penned an op-ed in the New York Times [ [link removed] ] explaining why she isn’t waiting for Congress to act and urging fellow pro-choice governors, state representatives, private businesses, and citizens to take action to protect reproductive rights.
* *May 25:* Signed an executive directive [ [link removed] ] instructing state of Michigan departments and agencies to identify and assess opportunities to increase protections for reproductive healthcare, such as contraception. The executive directive also instructs departments not to cooperate with or assist authorities of any state in any investigation or proceeding against anyone for obtaining, providing, or assisting someone else to obtain or provide reproductive healthcare that is legal where the health care is provided.
* *June 23:* Launched a new consumer website [ [link removed] ] to educate Michiganders about the availability of no-cost contraception with most insurance plans.
* *June 24:* On the day of the "Dobbs" decision [ [link removed] ], filed a motion urging the Court to immediately consider her lawsuit.
* *June 27:* Followed up with an additional notice [ [link removed] ] to the Court urging them to immediately consider her lawsuit.
* *June 29:* Sent a letter to Michigan’s insurers [ [link removed] ] urging them to take steps to ensure Michiganders have coverage for reproductive health care to the fullest extent possible under current coverage.
* *July 6:* Joined with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to launch a public effort to educate Michiganders and health care providers about the difference between emergency contraception and medication abortion [ [link removed] ]. The public effort will disseminate information about the differences between medication abortion and emergency contraception to all local health departments throughout Michigan, healthcare providers throughout the state, and the public.
* *July 7:* Called on the federal government [ [link removed] ] to clarify and protect Michiganders’ right to cross the US-Canada border to seek reproductive health care or prescription medication including medication abortion.
###
STAY CONNECTED: Visit us on Facebook [ [link removed] ] Visit us on Twitter [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]Sign up for email updates [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]
Subscriber Services::
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ] | Help [ [link removed] ]
Bookmark and Share [ [link removed] ]
________________________________________________________________________
This email was sent to
[email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Executive Office of the Governor · 111 S. Capitol Ave · Lansing, Michigan 48901 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]
