The birth control app which delivers the morning-after pill to your door is expanding in conservative states – to the ire of pro-life activists and lawmakers.
Nurx, a Silicon Valley start-up which launched in 2015, operates in 15 states, offering females over the age of 12 access to the pill, the ring, Plan B and Ella.
Its aim is to ‘break down obstacles’ to getting birth control. While the morning-after pill is already available over-the-counter nationwide (out-of-pocket), women paying for it with insurance need to go to their doctor, which can be complicated in states which are pushing to limit contraception use.
But although the drug – designed to prevent a sperm fertilizing an egg after unprotected sex – is already available over-the-counter, the concept of obtaining it by mail has enraged anti-contraception groups.
Nurx, a Silicon Valley start-up which launched in 2015, operates in 15 states, offering females over the age of 12 access to the pill, the ring, Plan B and Ella (pictured)
Activists in North Carolina and Texas, for example, are pushing lawmakers to create legislation that would hamstring the app, as they claim the morning-after pill is akin to the abortion pill.
Nurx explains that the morning-after pill is not like the abortion pill because it prevents pregnancies (i.e. the sperm does not fertilize the egg), while an abortion aborts a pregnancy (after the egg is fertilized).
They also insist that the app has more screening measures than pharmacies, with users obliged to answer medical questions, before receiving personal follow-up consultations with one of the app’s medical officers.
But the activists are unconvinced by both arguments, and continue to rally against Nurx.
John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right for Life, and Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, both told Stat News their organizations views the morning-after pill as an equivalent to the abortion pill RU 486, despite being classed as a contraceptive.
While their argument is not scientifically supported, their protestations are causing a stir ahead of legislative sessions next year.
Other activists point to the fact that the pill is available to girls as young as 12 – an argument which has carried more weight in terms of pushing laws to clamp down on telemedicine.
Nurx insists each patient goes through a diligent medical screening, and each state’s laws still apply in terms of age limits.