You talk as if people can't see a doctor if it's not required or as if people who don't get a pill prescription will remain abstinent.

No, I expect them to use another form of birth control.

What it comes down to is right now we cover the doctor's ass by making the pill prescription only

How is that covering the doctor's ass? If it's OTC, then there is no doctor in the picture at all. That would actually clear the doctor of all liability, which on paper at least would be preferable, assuming that doctors don't actually care about patient health.

We can at least let women decide for themselves, and if they get deep vein thrombosis (which, pardon me, sounds a lot less scary than pregnancy, but that is a personal matter)

I don't even know how to process that last statement.

I am sorry for your awful experiences on the pill, and your general health problems. However, some of this was very rare.

It's not nearly as rare as you think. My pulmonary nurse says they're seeing more and more women my age, athletic, nonsmokers in the ER for PE and DVT, and the *only* risk factor we all share is the Pill. She put me in a study that MassGeneral is doing tracking increasing incidences of PE in healthy women on hormonal birth control, their theory being that it's not nearly as safe as you think.

I've never even heard of Leider Factor V, and I've never been tested for it, but I HAVE been prescribed BC by several doctors, Planned Parenthood and my OB-GYN.

Irresponsibly so, if you never had any labs done before you were given the script. Your risk of clots skyrockets if you have it. As it turns out I tested negative for it, along with all the other known genetic markers for clotting disorders, so I went on the pill. I got blood clots anyway. Estrogen increases your risk of clots, even without a predisposition.

Lots of OTC drugs can be dangerous if used improperly (some mentioned are ASPRIN, Tylenol, Claritin, Pepsid, etc.) but the FDA and most people have decided that they are relatively safe for the general population, and that most of us can take them responsibily. By your definition, literally NO DRUG AT ALL would be sold OTC. You can kill yourself, pretty easily, with an overdose of Tylenol or Motrin -- but I don't think anyone seriously thinks these drugs should require a prescription AND an expensive doctor's visit.

OTC versions of prescription drugs are a fraction of the dosage of the prescription-only version, you do know that right? Additionally, there is only one Motrin, there is only on Pepcid, there is only one Zantac. You will either react to it or you won't. There are a zillion different formulations of hormonal birth control. Some are high estrogen, some are low estrogen, some have ingredients which cause dramatic and unpleasant side effects in some people (weight gain, facial hair, acne) and some cause totally awesome side effects in people (clear skin, periods that last 2 days). Are you actually suggesting that women should spend years of their life (allowing for a three-month adjustment period) trying out all these different varieties of pills on their own, with zero physician guidance or advice, to see which ones work well and which ones cause them to go crazy or grow a mustache?

We still have weird ideas about BC, even some feminists like Kitchengirl, in the sense that we want to control it, dole it out only to "deserving women" (in her case, women who properly get expensive medical care and who have health insurance!!!). Meanwhile, I guess "undeserving women" (poor, rural, no insurance, no doctor, etc.) apparently just get pregnant. Does Kitchengirl really think an unwanted pregnancy will be HEALTHIER than using OTC birth control pills? Because, honest to God, that's the situation we have today -- women getting pregnant because they do not have good access to affordable, easy BC on short notice.

Boy you've got fat fucking nerve to put those words in my mouth! I never once said or even suggested that some women "deserve" care and others don't. My point was that *all* women should have access to effective primary and/or GYN care, and that diminishing medical care is *not* the solution to the problem of birth control.

Incidentally, tt takes 2-3 months for the pill to be reliable and effective, so I hope that you're not under the impression that you could run down to CVS and be protected from unwanted pregnancy.

As far as the idea "you can just use another method that month" -- that's cruel, stupid and obviously doesn't work well. What "other methods" do you think are out there? A diaphragm requires a presciption too (ABSOLUTE PROOF of stupid thinking, since it's a damn piece of RUBBER, yet it's use is restricted just like the pill!!!!). The sponge is hard to find and expensive (about $4 a piece) and it's not all that effective (about 80%). Can you insert your own IUD? NO! What exactly is Kitchengirl recommending, anyways?

You might be the shrillest person on this site, Laurel. I stated very clearly what I was suggesting. Apparently you didn't read my last letter, to the effect that improving access to effective primary care should be the demand, not making hormone pills available OTC.

So we end up where we started -- back at condoms. Again, great for STDs, not so great for birth control. And what if you have a lousy and/or dumb partner who can't or won't use a condom?

Maybe you should set the bar a little higher for yourself.