Trump Wants Greater Access to Birth Control

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NEW YORK (ChurchMilitant.com) - Donald Trump wants to give women easy access to over-the-counter birth control.

On the September 15 episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said, "I think what we have in birth control is, you know, when you have to get a prescription, that's a pretty tough something to climb. And I would say it should not be a prescription, it should not be done by prescription."

He continued, "You have women that just aren't able to go get a prescription. So more and more people are coming out and saying that, but I am not in favor of prescription for birth control."

Trump's comments go directly against the Republican party's platform explicitly condemning "over-the-counter (OTC) sales of powerful contraceptives without a physician's recommendation." It describes the most commonly prescribed contraceptive, Mifeprex (also known as RU486), as "a dangerous abortifacient."

Ben Shapiro, political commentator and vocal Trump critic, told ChurchMilitant.com, "I don't understand the logic behind allowing medical contraceptives over the counter; there are too many types of birth control pills, and they do require medical help for proper use."

Last month, the National Right to Life political action committee officially voiced its support for Trump, as did pro-life leader Troy Newman, founder of Operation Rescue.

The common misconception regarding oral contraceptives is that they only prevent a conception from occurring. While this can happen, fertilization of the ovum can still occur, meaning that new life is produced. The drug then prevents the child from implanting in the woman's uterine lining, depriving the child of nutrients and essentially starving him to death. The body then expels the child, who is flushed into the sewer. Permanent forms of contraception like the intrauterine device (IUD) accomplish the same thing.

Last year several Senate Republicans came out in support of a bill by Colorado senator Cory Gardner to make oral contraceptives available without prescription, but it encountered heavy resistance from Planned Parenthood and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Planned Parenthood argued that the move would skyrocket the cost of medication, as insurers would no longer pay for birth control. But critics maintain the organization has a great financial interest in keeping prescription contraceptives, as it acquires a profit of $1.2 billion a year by providing contraceptives to women.

Avik Roy of Forbes asks, "As a major provider of birth control and the nation's number one abortion provider, why would Planned Parenthood support other options for women?"

He continues, "The group is simply serving its own self-interest, trying to hang on to the status quo that leads to big business and big dollars for them. Who's working against women now?"

In 2014, Gardner co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act, which would grant full legal rights to unborn children from the moment of conception. ACOG commented that the bill could result in the outlawing of abortion and certain kinds of contraceptives.

Currently only three states — Washington, Oregon and California — allow a pharmacist to prescribe hormonal birth control without a doctor's visit. Washington was the first to legalize the practice in 1979.

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