Senator Coons, colleagues write bipartisan letter to Pentagon to expand access to over-the-counter contraceptives for service members and their families

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and 33 of his Senate colleagues published an open letter today urging the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure over-the-counter birth control is available for service members and their families on military bases without a prescription. In July, the Food and Drug Administration approved Opill as the first daily oral contraceptive available without a prescription.

The lawmakers wrote, “Access to contraception, as well as education about it, increases readiness and improves quality of life for our servicemembers and their families. We write to urge the Department of Defense to expand TRICARE coverage to include OTC contraceptives with no cost-sharing or prescription requirement. We also request the DoD stock OTC contraceptives in military treatment facilities, pharmacies, and exchanges.”

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 40% of active-duty service women now face limited or no access to reproductive care where they are stationed. This impacts approximately 1.6 million women of reproductive age – including service members, retirees, and their families – who rely on the Military Health System to access essential health care. 

The senators call on DoD to make Opill available in medical facilities, retail stores, and pharmacies on military bases at no cost to servicemembers or dependents and without a prescription. They ask DoD to respond by the end of the month and to provide reasons in case the Pentagon is unable or unwilling to meet their call to expand access to reproductive care for people currently serving in uniform, military retirees, and their dependents.

In addition to Senator Coons, the letter is signed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

You can read the full letter here.