Today we’re celebrating #FreeThePill Day (officially May 9)! More than 60 years ago, the FDA approved the first birth control pill—a development that allowed people to exercise more autonomy over their reproductive health and lives. But it came at a cost. 1/9

If we are to achieve true reproductive justice and freedom for all, the history of the birth control pill must never be forgotten. 2/9

In the 1950s, hundreds of Puerto Rican women were enrolled in clinical trials and experimented on without informed consent to test the birth control pill. https://bit.ly/3uuCT3x  3/9

These experiments are a stark reminder that when it comes to advancement in the health care field, it's often Black and brown people whose bodies are exploited for the sake of progress. 4/9

Today, communities of color still experience systemic racism in the health care system and are disproportionately impacted by barriers to birth control access. 5/9

These barriers fall hardest on Black, Indigenous, AAPI, and Latinx people, young people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, and those working to make ends meet. 6/9

An over-the-counter birth control will not erase the fraught history of the birth control pill, but it will address structural inequities that continue to harm communities of color and others most impacted by systems of oppression. 7/9

An over-the-counter birth control pill is a step toward a future where everyone has the freedom to access the contraception of their choice—no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. 8/9

It’s time we make this future a reality. It’s time for an over-the-counter birth control pill. #FreeThePill 9/9