Arizona Lawmakers Underperform on Pharmaceutical Freedom for Women

Jeffrey A. SingerMy home and surgical practice are in Phoenix, Arizona. One hundred eighty miles to the west of Phoenix, a women can walk into aCalifornia pharmacy and ask the pharmacist to prescribe her hormonal contraceptives, bypassing the doctor ’s office and the $100+ fee for an office visit (and possibly an afternoon off from work). Drive 248 miles due east and a woman can get a prescription for hormonal contraceptives from a pharmacist inNew Mexico. Three hundred miles to the north, and 373 miles to the northeast, pharmacists can prescribe hormonal contraceptives to women inUtah andColorado respectively. And if a woman drives 180 miles due south, she can walk into a pharmacy in Nogales, Sonora,Mexico and purchase hormonal contraceptives without any prescription. After many previously unsuccessful attempts, Arizona legislators finally succeeded last week in ending Arizona ' s role as the conspicuous southwestern U.S. outlier that restricts women ’s pharmaceutical freedom--though they could have done better.Of the15 states that, at the time of this writing, allow women to obtain hormonal contraceptives without having to get a doctor ' s prescription, the great majority grant prescribing authority directly to pharmacists. Arizona lawmakers chose adifferent approach. Theyvoted to permit state and county public health officials, if they hold state health care practitioner licenses, to issue blanket " standing orders " to Arizona pharmacists, permitting them to dispense...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs