Reproductive health care advocates push for birth control injections at pharmacies

Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul, lawmakers and reproductive health advocates celebrated the approval of a new law that made birth control available without a prescription. The state officially authorized trained pharmacists to distribute contraceptives in March, with the governor making the announcement to much fanfare. 

The law covers most forms of contraception – including patches, pills and rings – but it left out birth control injections, which still must be prescribed and administered by doctors. Now, reproductive health advocates have sent a letter to state lawmakers urging them to approve legislation that would allow pharmacists to administer those shots as well. 

The letter, which was exclusively shared with City & State, makes the case that the legislation addresses economic and racial justice in reproductive health, noting that birth control shots are most often used by Black people, young people and low-income people. “The state is making decisions about types of birth control that can be prescribed by pharmacists and in doing so is creating a paradigm that actively disadvantages Black women,” said Rochelle Rodney, co-executive Director of the NY Birth Control Access Project, one of the organizations that signed on to the letter.

New York is one of few states that have authorized pharmacists to administer most forms of birth control without a prescription, but not birth control shots. “Yet again, we are playing catch up on this issue –  a dozen states already afford patients this right. New York state should not be making decisions for any patient about which type of birth control they can choose,” the letter reads. 

The measure has already passed the state Senate, but not the Assembly. Assembly Member John McDonald, a trained pharmacist who is sponsoring the Assembly version of the bill, said that bills meant to expand the scope of practice for pharmacists and other medical professionals often move slowly in his chamber. “Our house, as a rule, is very cautious about doing any scope of practice,” he told City & State. “I would say that I can understand part of that. However, one of the reasons why we have a struggling healthcare system is because we keep building our silos higher.” McDonald said that he is still trying to push his legislation through before lawmakers leave for the year.

McDonald said that when the bill allowing birth control to be dispensed without a prescription was passed last year, some legislators had a hard time wrapping their minds around permitting a pharmacist to give an injection, as opposed to offering a self-administered pill or patch. But he said that the birth control injection is just an intramuscular injection, no different from the vaccines that pharmacists already administer to patients. “An IM (intramuscular) injection is an IM injection is an IM injection,” he said. People who use birth control injections must receive a shot every four months, and under the current law, they must see a doctor in order to get it every time. “There are a lot of folks who live in reproductive care deserts in my district, but also across the state,” said state Sen. Lea Webb, who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. “And for a lot of individual communities, their pharmacist is their main entry point to care.”

The last day of the scheduled legislative session is Thursday, but lawmakers – particularly the Assembly – may stick around until Friday or Saturday to wrap up.