Just days after a visit from the Pope, the Brazilian government announced it will subsidise contraception for the poor.
Birth control pills will be discounted up to 90% at a network of 3,500 government-authorised chemists across the country.
The goal is to increase that number to 10,000 by the end of the year, the government said.
A monthly supply of pills would end up costing a woman just 15c.
The new plan also wants more men to take advantage of the free vasectomies offered by the public health service.
Brazil's Health Minister also suggested the government should present a proposal on the legalisation of abortion to Congress, despite the church's opposition.
Earlier this month, Pope Benedict delivered a strong anti-abortion message and railed against premarital sex during a visit to the world's most populous Catholic country.
Local bishops criticised the government for the distribution of free condoms and other birth control policies.
Brazil's government already hands out millions of free condoms each year to help prevent the spread of AIDS under a programme lauded by the United Nations.
The Catholic Church tells young people they should practice abstinence - a stance critics call dangerous and unrealistic.
