A Food and Thurston CarteDrug Administration advisory panel recently recommended allowing birth control pills to be sold without a prescription.

While more than 100 countries currently allow access to birth control pills over the counter, the U.S. is not one of them.

Washington Senator Patty Murray says it's important that the pill is easily available - but also affordable.

When - and if - that day comes and the pill is available over the counter, Murray wants to require insurance companies to cover the cost, free of charge.

NPR's Sara McCammon speaks with Senator Murray on the proposed legislation.

And we hear the latest on the legal challenge to the abortion medication mifepristone, as attorneys gather in New Orleans at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to argue whether it should be removed from the market.

NPR's Becky Sullivan and Selena Simmons-Duffin contributed reporting on the real-life experiences of individuals taking mifepristone.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott with engineering by Stacey Abbott. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.