Most of the world doesn’t require a prescription for birth control. Why do Canadians still need one? – CBC

Newer pills are safer — but Canada’s health system still requires prescribers to sign off

Feb 08, 2026

Leah Morris has been on birth control since she was a teenager. She remembers that first appointment being deceptively simple.

“It was just like, ‘You’re at a time that you should be on this,’” she said.

She started taking Yasmine, a common estrogen-based oral contraceptive. At first, getting refills was as easy as visiting her local pharmacy.

But as Morris’s work in international development and venture capital took her around the world, getting a prescription became, at times, a major struggle.

“I have to keep going back to my doctor and proving I haven’t died on it,” she said. “It’s just a giant time suck.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-prescription-birth-control-9.7074160