The bill, entitled the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026, was enacted in the Dáil and Seanad last week and signed by President Catherine Connolly. It is expected to take effect as early as the end of this year.
The legislation will allow women, trans people, nonbinary people, and intersex people aged 17 to 35 to renew their prescription for hormonal contraception such as the pill or the patch by a licensed pharmacist. After an initial prescription from their GP, they will be able to avail of the service under the Free Contraception Scheme for four and a half years. The Bill also intends for pharmacists to undergo mandatory training, and to perform routine consultations before renewing prescriptions for patients. Currently, only GPs are able to prescribe hormonal contraception, while emergency contraception has been available in pharmacies since 2011.
The Bill will operate under the Free Contraception Scheme, and as such, it will only be available for those with a valid Personal Public Service Number (PPSN). While it has received overwhelming support from entities such as the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI), voices have called for the age range to be extended on both ends.
Labour Party TD Marie Sherlock, proposed for the lower age limit to be shifted downward by a year, to align it with the age of medical consent in Ireland. She also proposed for the age limit to be extended to 40, citing that it would represent a small portion of the overall health budget, yet, it would “have a fundamental impact on women of this age”. Moreover, she noted that under the proposed legislation, those without a PPSN would not have access, mentioning unregistered migrants, and emphasising the need to “ensure it reaches all of the women in the country it should reach”.
Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully has welcomed the act for its potential to “reduce barriers for women and make access to contraception easier”, while also “easing pressure on primary care”. Yet, she said that it should “cover all hormone therapy for all women and girls from adolescence through to and beyond menopause”.
In a press release issued by An Roinn Sláinte (Department of Health), Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, welcomed the Bill, saying that it “represents a significant step forward in how we deliver care in our communities”, and welcoming the empowerment of pharmacists that will be able to “provide enhanced services and play a more integrated part in patient care”.
