Oregon legislature votes to expand access to birth control
By Courtney Sherwood PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) – Oregon appears poised to significantly expand access to prescription birth control, with bipartisan support for legislation that family planning experts said on Wednesday is unique in the United States. A law requiring private insurers to allow women to collect a 12-month supply of birth control in a single visit, rather than the one-month dose often supplied, received unanimous Senate approval on Tuesday and is now headed to the governor’s desk. A separate bill, which would allow pharmacists to dispense contraceptives directly without physician oversight, was passed on Tuesday by the House by a vote of 50 to 10, and now heads to the state Senate.