On Thursday Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, published an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal (behind a pay wall, so you might have to Google it), arguing in favor of over-the-counter contraception. While full of pretty typical anti-Obama rhetoric, Jindal goes further than many in the GOP seem willing to go:
Why do women have to go see a doctor before they buy birth control? There are two answers. First, because big government says they should, even though requiring a doctor visit to get a drug that research shows is safe helps drive up health-care costs. Second, because big pharmaceutical companies benefit from it. They know that prices would be driven down if the companies had to compete in the marketplace once their contraceptives were sold over the counter.
I don’t agree with Jindal’s assessment that making contraceptives available OTC would “take contraception out of the political arena”, but it would certainly help. More importantly, it would—duh—make contraception more readily available, and any pro-life person should be in favor of that.
Via the Feminist Majority Foundation Blog.