Plan B for Plan B--Vending Machines

That's one college's answer to how to dispense the "morning after" pillby Catrin Svensson.Seldom has a topic stirred so much controversy as the emergency contraceptive Plan B. Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania added to the debate when it offered its students the morning- after pill in a vending machine on campus.The machine also sells condoms, pregnancy tests, and decongestants, without the need to ever interact with a health-care professional. The University does not make any money on the transaction and offers the pill at cost, $25 per pill, half the price of a pharmacy.Proponents of the Plan B vending machine point out that our country needs to provide all kinds of birth control options—by any means necessary. The United States has, by far, the highest young adult pregnancy rate in the world, when comparing to countries of similar education and wealth background. College aged women make up two-thirds of pregnancies. One study showed that 24 percent of college women become pregnant during their college years. Another revealed that 27 percent of all pregnancies in that age bracket result in abortion.What about here at CCNY—should women be able to buy a pill from a vending machine to avoid pregnancy? Students had mixed reactions.Rachel, a senior, doesn’t think the college should be in the business of dispensing contraceptives. “If it’s available in pharmacies I don’t see the necessity for the college to sell it,” she says. “I know people that abuse Plan B; you should need to face the pharmacist.”Angela, a sophomore, agreed. “I don’t have the right to deny someone Plan B, but I think having vending machines on campus is too much,” she said.Rochelle, a CCNY student and a Planned Parenthood intern, obviously has a different opinion. She thinks the idea of Plan B in vending machines is a little out there, but is still part of a woman’s right to choose.“You can personally be against Plan B for yourself, but don’t impose that on other people,” she says. “Don’t tell other women that they are not allowed to have it.”Even as the argument continues, there's one important thing to remember: Plan B cannot replace other forms of birth control since it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. In this country, 19 million people contract STD’s yearly and a large number of those are young adults.Bottom line for Tabitha, a senior: She says she refuses to judge. “I am a Christian, and I am not pro-choice; personally, I would never use contraceptives,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it’s a person’s choice.”