How to get rid of NYC rats without brutality? Birth control is one idea

New York lawmakers are proposing rules to humanely drive down the population of rats and other rodents, eyeing contraception and a ban on glue traps as alternatives to poison or a slow, brutal death. Politicians have long come up with creative ways to battle the rodents, but some lawmakers are now proposing city and statewide … Read more

Poland’s president vetoes law on free access to morning-after pill for ages 15 and above

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Friday vetoed a law that would have allowed over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill for girls and women ages 15 and above, his office said. Duda said he was concerned about the health of minors and heeding the voices of parents. A statement by Duda’s office said … Read more

Iowa attorney general not finished with audit that’s holding up contraception money for rape victims

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa attorney general’s office said it is still working on an audit of its victim services that has held up emergency contraception funding for victims of sexual assault despite having a completed draft in hand. Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican, paused the funding while awaiting the results of the … Read more

Bill that would have placed the question of abortion access before Louisiana voters fails

BATON ROUGE, La. — A bill that ultimately would have let voters decide whether abortions should be legal in Louisiana, a state with a near-total ban, failed after a Republican-controlled committee rejected it Monday. The legislation proposed an amendment to Louisiana’s constitution that would enshrine reproductive rights for women, including allowing contraceptives such as birth … Read more

Mifepristone access is coming before the US Supreme Court. How safe is this abortion pill?

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case Tuesday that could impact how women get access to mifepristone, one of the two pills used in the most common type of abortion in the nation. The central dispute in the case is whether the Food and Drug Administration overlooked serious safety problems when it made … Read more

Contraceptives will be available without a prescription in New York following a statewide order

ALBANY, N.Y. — Contraceptives will be available without a prescription in New York under an order signed by state health officials on Tuesday. The move is part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mission to bolster reproductive rights at a time when its restricted in other parts of the country. The measure comes as the … Read more

Over-the-counter birth control pill now available to Wisconsin Medicaid patients

MADISON, Wis. — Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin will have access to the first over-the-counter birth control pill starting Tuesday, allowing them to easily receive contraceptive medication with no out-of-pocket costs or doctor’s prescription, Gov. Tony Evers announced. Evers, a Democrat, promised in his State of the State speech in January that Opill would be available … Read more

Arizona Republicans Refuse To Even Consider Basic Birth Control Protections

After refusing to have committees take up two bills that would enshrine access to contraceptives in state law, Arizona Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Hail Mary effort by Democrats to force a hearing on the legislation. Each deemed the Right to Contraception Act, the identical bills in the state’s House and Senate that would guarantee … Read more

NDP close to presenting ‘final offer’ on pharmacare: Singh – National

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party is getting close to giving the Liberals their final offer on a single-payer pharmacare plan as the negotiation deadline quickly approaches. “We’re getting very close to a final position, and when we submit our final position on this, that will be it,” Singh told reporters at a press … Read more

An app for birth control? Some experts urge caution despite regulatory approval – National

Some women are trading in birth control pills for contraceptive apps, but some health experts question the reliability of this tech-driven approach. One of these contraceptive apps, called Natural Cycles, received Health Canada approval on Jan. 9 for its use as a medical device for birth control. Previously sold in Canada as a fertility tracker, … Read more