Women Can Now Access Birth Control Without a Prescription in New York

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Women in New York no longer need a doctor’s prescription to get birth control.

Pharmacists throughout the state can now dispense birth control without a prescription to anyone, according to an order signed March 19 by the state health commissioner.

The order pertains to three types of self-administered hormonal contraceptives approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration: oral hormonal pills, hormonal vaginal rings, and hormonal contraceptive patches.

Pharmacists who choose to participate can give individuals up to a year’s supply (12 months) of their contraception of choice. Non-New York residents who visit a pharmacy in the state can also obtain birth control—a major step forward in women’s ongoing fight for reproductive rights in the United States.

“Anybody can—you're welcome to get a year's supply,” Health Commissioner James McDonald said at a news conference after signing the order. “You want to come to New York and get your birth control pill, you're welcome.”

For years, it has been incredibly difficult for women to access birth control. In conservative states there has long been the issue of pro-life groups raiding reproductive clinics and state leaders passing laws to ensure women have no say when it comes to their bodies. While liberal states have less of this, women do struggle with high out-of-pocket costs for birth control, long wait times at fertility and OBGYN clinics, few appointments due to the high demand, and issues over getting prescriptions through video appointments.

The birth control order comes as part of a major push made by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and other state leaders to expand reproductive health care amid dwindling access elsewhere in the country. (Just last month, the Alabama Supreme Court threatened the future of egg-freezing and IVF.)

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, Hochul made moves to protect abortion access in New York—including signing laws to protect patients and providers, investing millions in providers across the state, and purchasing a five-year supply of misoprostol. This year, she also allocated $100.7 million in new funding to support abortion providers and reproductive health care.

Hochul joined McDonald at College Parkside Pharmacy in Albany to sign the standing order. “At a time when reproductive rights are under attack, New York State will continue to fight for every individual’s right to access the health care they need,” she said. “Starting a family is a deeply personal decision and New York State will always be a place where people can access safe and effective contraceptives.”

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