"The women of Victoria are not free to purchase this product, unless they first obtain a permit, otherwise known as a prescription," he told Victorian Parliament.

"Contraceptive pills pose little risk to the taker or to anyone else ... There is no reason these drugs should require a prescription."

The ability to change the law to allow women to purchase the pill directly from the chemist rests with the federal government.

"What ought to be a personal matter is somehow a federal matter for the whole nation," Mr Quilty said.

"The oral contraceptive pill was a revolution in self-ownership.

"It gave women unprecedented control over their own bodies, it has been widely considered a good thing."

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He asked Health Minister Jenny Mikakos if the Victorian government would consider a similar move to Queensland, which has launched a trial to allow pharmacists to issue repeat scripts.

"I often hear anger at the fact that decisions about women's reproductive rights are made by men," Mr Quilty said.

"The decision to take the pill or not take the pill should be for each woman to make for herself.

"It should not be subject to a veto by anyone, including a doctor."

Ms Mikakos said she shared his philosophical stance on the issue and had been looking forward to working with a federal Labor government to change the law nationally.

"This is an issue that I have asked my department to work with me on, because I do want to ensure that we are providing access to these types of services for Victorian women," she said.

"If we look to what is happening in the United States at the moment and the absolute attack on women's reproductive rights, that is something that alarms me greatly.

"That is a view that I have shared with women's organisations, in particular women's health organisations in this state - that they are rights that we need to continually defend and be vigilant about."

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