After approving the abortion ban, SC lawmakers seek to expand access to birth control | Palmetto Policy

COLOMBIA – A few weeks after approving an almost total ban on abortion, some South Carolina lawmakers are pushing to expand access to birth control, proposing legislation that would allow women to obtain it without a prescription.

State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, said he decided to introduce the bill after learning how women in rural communities have difficulty accessing a doctor or paying for a doctor to obtain a prescription.

“If we want to avoid unwanted pregnancies, if we want to go ahead and reduce abortions, which is a good public policy, then, according to this desire, it is to make contraceptives more readily available, breaking down barriers to access and making them more accessible to women, “said Davis.

The Medical Affairs Commission approved the bill on March 4, potentially preparing it for a debate in the Senate plenary soon.

If approved, the bill would add South Carolina to 13 states that already allow pharmacists to give contraceptives to women without specific prescriptions for patients. Currently, in South Carolina, only condoms and emergency contraceptives – known as “morning after pills” or “Plan B” – are available without a prescription.

“Looking at the 13 states that have done something like this, it is very clear that expanding access to birth control and removing these barriers has been extremely successful,” said Davis.

The bill, S.628, would guide state councils of medical examiners and pharmacists to develop a protocol to be followed by pharmacies for dispensing self-administered contraceptives, such as birth control pills, or administering injectable versions.

The protocol would need to follow some minimum requirements, such as providing training to pharmacists who distribute contraceptives and providing information to women who request them. But that would leave the details for those boards to find out.

“I didn’t want to be too specific in this bill about what that written protocol should be,” said Davis. “This is something that is best left to lawmakers for these professionals.”

State Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, sought to amend the bill to make it clear that pharmacies may choose not to offer prescription contraceptives, a change Davis said would be receptive during the Senate floor debate.

The move comes just weeks after the legislature passed a bill to ban most abortions in the state, trying to prevent any abortions after about six to eight weeks of pregnancy.

A federal judge quickly suspended the measure after Governor Henry McMaster signed it, ruling that it is likely to be considered unconstitutional due to Supreme Court precedent that women are entitled to access to abortion until a fetus is viable outside the womb.

A broader hearing on the ban on abortion is scheduled for March 8.