Many college students may not intend to become pregnant while still in school. The majority of college students undoubtedly view being pregnant while they’re a student as unplanned pregnancies. Pregnancy might prevent them from graduating, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade.
What should a college-aged woman do if she engages in unprotected sex and fears that she might become pregnant? The morning after pill, also referred to as Plan B, is still a choice. Making access to Plan B as simple as possible for Boston University students was the mission of a group of students.
Students for Reproductive Freedom (SRF) copresidents Molly Baker and Charlotte Beatty unveiled a new vending machine on March 1, 2022, that sells a generic form of Plan B for just $7.25. The vending machine is situated close to a number of other vending machines that offer more typical vending machine fare including snacks and drinks.
According to Baker and Beatty, Boston University’s Plan B vending machine concept dates back around five years. Beatty told BU Today, “SRF’s whole mission is to break down barriers to reproductive healthcare access around campus as much as we can. Plan B normally costs around $50, and to get it, you have to make a Planned Parenthood appointment or talk to someone at the pharmacy at CVS. There are so many potential access barriers to getting emergency contraception, so we just thought that this machine would be a really wonderful way to improve the state of reproductive healthcare for people in the BU community.”
Baker told NBC 10 Boston, “The overturning of Roe made us even more proud to offer this service to people in our community.”
Plan B can be effective up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, although it works best when taken within 24 hours. It essentially acts as a strong kind of birth control to stop a woman’s body from releasing an egg that might fertilize. Beatty thinks it’s “amazing” that Boston University students can now conveniently and affordably acquire Plan B through a vending machine.
SRF urges college students at other institutions to get in touch with them for information on how to install a Plan B vending machine at their institution.
Learn more about this innovative vending machine at Boston University by watching the video down below.
What do you think of the idea of a Plan B vending machine? Do you anticipate other colleges and universities stealing this concept?
