ILLINOIS, USA — Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation making birth control available over-the-counter, making it more accessible to those in need.
Pritzker announced the signing of the bill HB 0135, which removes a number of barriers that would prevent some residents from getting access to certain types of contraception, in a press release on Thursday, July 22.
The bill allows hormonal contraceptives to be obtained over-the-counter, making it more readily available to those in need; specifically to those who lacked access to a doctor who would prescribe it to them.
The legislation also includes a Medicaid expansion to cover over-the-counter costs for plans that currently cover physician-prescribed birth control, training for pharmacists to help counsel people on the various birth control options, and mandates for State-regulated insurance policies to cover birth control given out by pharmacists.
“This legislation that I’m signing into law today makes Illinois one of the first states in the Midwest to provide birth control over the counter, making contraceptives all the more accessible and affordable in our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In 2019, when I signed the Reproductive Health Act into law, I said that in Illinois we guarantee as a fundamental right, a woman’s right to choose. Today, we take yet another stand to fulfill that promise.”
The bill goes into effect on January 1, 2022. Illinois is the second state in the Midwest to sign over-the-counter birth control legislation, following the state of Minnesota.