Auckland: Difference between revisions

In New Zealand, you need a prescription for the birth control a general practitioner or nurse. However, the laws will soon be changing to allow women (who are over 16 years old and already have taken birth control before) to obtain birth control pills without a prescription. To do this, they will need to pay a $45 fee at the chemist and, so far, this change only applies to birth control pills.<ref>[http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/89395698/oral-contraceptives-to-be-sold-over-the-counter Oral contraceptives to be sold over the counter - but not everyone happy]</ref> While the age of consent is 16 years old, there are no age restrictions for a birth control prescription and parental consent is not required. The birth control pill has been available in New Zealand since the 1960s, and it became widely available to NZ women in the 1970s. It is estimated that 71.3% of NZ women use some form of contraceptive and that 67.4% use a modern method.<ref>[http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/family/trendsContraceptiveUse2015Report.pdf Trends in Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015]</ref>