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The state comptroller’s recent report on rural health care shortages highlights a troubling reality: In many parts of New York, reproductive health care is simply out of reach.

Some counties have no OB-GYNs. Clinics that provide reproductive health care are closing. People are left traveling hours for appointments that should be routine. When it comes to birth control — a foundation of reproductive autonomy — these shortages mean missed prescriptions, delayed care and inequities that fall hardest on low-income communities and people of color.

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In 2023, New York passed the Birth Control Access Act, authorizing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception under a statewide standing order. This means a patient can walk into their pharmacy without a prescription for birth control, consult with a pharmacist, and leave with a 12-month supply of their birth........

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