Access to Birth Control: Pharmacy Requirements
A house committee must act next: committee consideration.
While the bill has dozens of Democratic cosponsors, it lacks the bipartisan support needed to pass a divided Congress where reproductive rights are a major point of conflict.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Many pharmacies, including independent drugstores, would face new legal duties to stock, order, or refer for contraception, plus civil penalties up to $100,000 per proceeding and exposure to private lawsuits with attorney fees. This adds compliance costs and legal risk for pharmacy owners, especially smaller operations without large legal staff.
“A pharmacy that violates a requirement of subsection (a) is liable to the United States for a civil penalty in an amount not exceeding $1,000 per day of violation, not to exceed $100,000 for all violations adjudicated in a single proceeding.”
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Lawmakers introduced the Access to Birth Control Act to ensure customers seeking contraception at pharmacies are not turned away. The bill requires pharmacies to provide in-stock medication without delay and prohibits employees from harassing or misleading patients based on personal beliefs.
The Access to Birth Control Act establishes specific duties for pharmacies to ensure the provision of FDA-approved contraception. It mandates that if a product is out of stock, the pharmacy must refer the patient elsewhere or expedite an order, while prohibiting the use of RFRA as a defense.
U.S. lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to make pharmacies provide birth control medications nationwide. The act mandates that pharmacies must quickly refer patients or order medication if out of stock, protecting them from intimidation by employees who object to contraception.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Access to Birth Control Act
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