The Tippecanoe County Health Department plans to provide Opill, a newly-approved oral contraceptive that can be used without a prescription.
The announcement comes as the state moves forward with a near-total abortion ban.
Earlier this year, the Tippecanoe County Health Department announced it would offer Plan B to residents for free.
Greg Loomis, health officer for the county, said Opill can be accessed over the counter.
“This provides women non-judgmental access to their reproductive rights,” he said.
Loomis said he hopes people will still get their regularly scheduled checkups with their doctors.
“A lot of times what we do at the health department here is we have a woman come in for Plan B and we’ll do a pregnancy test, we’ll check for STIs, and that’s what doctors do when patients come to see them – they are concerned about the wellness,” he said. “This medication should not, I repeat should not, replace normal visits to your care provider for regular checkups.”
Loomis said the health department plans to offer people access to a free monthly supply of the pill, which must be taken daily.
“As soon as it’s released, we will have the order already in and we should receive it,” Loomis said. “But we won’t be giving it out until it’s officially released to the drug stores.”
Opill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration just last week. Pricing has not yet been made available from the manufacturer, and it’s not clear when the drug will come on the market.
Loomis said he expects the medication will become available sometime next year.
