FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2023
CONTACT: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opill as the first-ever over-the-counter birth control pill. 

Making birth control more accessible will have a direct impact on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities who face barriers to sexual and reproductive health care. In the face of these barriers, AAPI women are more likely to use cheaper, less effective methods of birth control.

“This historic win was made possible by the tireless efforts of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations that have spent decades sharing research on the safe and effective over-the-counter use of birth control and advocating for this change,” said Isra Pananon Weeks, NAPAWF’s Interim Executive Director and Chief of Staff. “NAPAWF is proud to be a part of the Free the Pill coalition and its commitment to reproductive justice and more equitable access to contraceptives.”

For AAPI communities, having access to over-the-counter birth control is a step toward ending contraceptive use stigma and opening the door to more open conversations about sexual and reproductive health. 

“As we continue to face unprecedented attacks on our reproductive freedom, we should celebrate this victory and continue to fight to ensure over-the-counter birth control is accessible to all, regardless of financial ability,” said NAPAWF’s Chief Field Officer Kristina Doan who recently published an op-ed on why this matters to AAPI communities. “Everyone deserves the ability to pursue healthy, independent lives by accessing the care they need and deserve. Today’s victory brings us one step closer to making that a reality for all.”

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.