FDA considering allowing birth control pills without prescription

The Food and Drug Administration is asking for public input on whether to expand "behind-the-counter" sales at U.S. drugstores.

Officials are holding a meeting in Washington next month for patients, pharmacists, doctors and anyone else wanting to weigh in on the issue.

In short, the FDA wants to know if it should allow patients to buy certain medicines directly from pharmacists without a doctor's prescription. Authorities wonder if it would ease access for the uninsured.

Birth control pills are a prime example.

Last year, the FDA allowed the morning-after pill to be sold without a doctor's note to women 18 and older, but only by pharmacies that verified their age. Minors still require a prescription.