Free Plan B at UChicago Sparks Reproductive Health Debate

Members of Project Reproductive Freedom (PRF) attracted attendees of the Registered Student Organization (RSO) fair on Oct. 4 with an enticing pitch: free Plan B. As the topic of reproductive health became increasingly pertinent on college campuses closer to Election Day, the donation of free contraceptives grabbed the attention of many students on campus.

Lucia Roure, a first-year student who attended the RSO fair and visited the Project Reproductive Freedom booth, spoke with The Gate about her positive reaction to the free contraceptives being provided. 

“I thought it was great,” Roure said. “For one person, seeing something like that might promote shock value, and get them thinking. For another, it might just be something helpful to grab.”

More than one third of women ages 15-24 (34 percent) report using emergency contraception at least once, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Despite access to regular contraceptives, this statistic highlights the importance of emergency contraception in sexual health decisions on college campuses. As access to abortion in many states becomes more constrictive, the availability of birth control options such as condoms and emergency contraceptives have become a focus for advocacy groups on college campuses.

Moreover, the 2024 election result is expected to have considerable effects on reproductive wellness in the nation. When responding to a question about whether the Trump administration is seeking to defund Planned Parenthood, J.D. Vance, the Vice President-Elect, said that “our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late term abortions,” according to NBC. Planned Parenthood requires most private health plans to cover contraception — including emergency contraception — at no cost to the individual. 

Despite promises from Trump’s administration, it’s unclear how he will address reproductive rights during his second term, as he has contradicted himself multiple times. After suggesting that he wants to restrict access to birth control, Trump later backtracked and said that he would “never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control,” according to PBS.

UChicago students had mixed feelings about the free distribution of Plan B on campus and about how the issue of reproductive rights affected the recent election. Roure emphasizes that although physical contraceptive supplies are important, information and awareness is even more important on college campuses.

“I think that the role of education surrounding topics like consent and reproductive health is to be centered around informing, not swaying,” Roure said. “Individuals should have all of the information so that they can make informed decisions. With that in mind, certain general principles certainly should be highlighted, such as the importance of consent or safe sex.” 

Christopher Phillips, a fourth-year student and president of College Republicans, agrees with the principle of providing more information to students.

“I wish the discourse were made more broad, so that students, and perhaps in this case, young ladies, could actually understand the full breadth of what contraception means, what plan B means, abstaining from sex means, what all these things mean,” Phillips said. “It would be nice if we could find a way to broaden that discourse and actually have those views represented on campus.”

The term reproductive wellness encompasses a wide variety of aspects, ranging from contraceptives, to abortion to regular check-ups, which complicates more specific conversations on campus to which Phillips refers. Roure draws attention to the difference between abortion rights versus contraceptives and how it’s perceived on campus.

“I think there’s a distinction to be made surrounding conversation about reproductive rights versus reproductive health,” Roure said. “For some, reproductive health is easily boiled down to using safe sex supplies and being mindful of their own sexual health. I think that reproductive rights seem like a more severe or controversial topic, and so the conversation surrounding it may be more tense.”

Constitutional amendments with regards to abortion appeared on the ballot in many states, proposing either an expansion or reduction of abortion access. According to NBC, measures that were seeking to expand abortion access failed in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota, while passing in seven other states. This marks the first time pro-abortion rights ballot measures have failed to pass post-Roe v. Wade. 

Reproductive rights have become a more prominent issue, especially for college students, amidst the number of laws being passed to restrict access to aspects of reproductive wellness. According to a study from Lumina Foundation and Gallup, 72 percent of currently enrolled college students report that the reproductive health laws in the state where their college is located are at least somewhat important to their decision to stay enrolled. Roure explains how access to reproductive health was a key factor for her and her friends when choosing where to attend college. 

“I think that reproductive health issues are at the forefront of many college students’ minds,” Roure said. “Personally, conversations concerning reproductive health were rampant amongst my female friends during the college application process.”

Phillips disagreed about abortion being a top consideration for students in terms of voting, arguing that any national legislation being passed is infeasible.

“In terms of actually voting, in terms of national or local policy, I don’t think that contraceptives and birth control are really top of mind for either side,” Phillips said. “I haven’t seen any measures here or elsewhere talking about limiting contraceptives.”

Although the larger national issue surrounding reproductive health and rights is focused on abortion, there have also been state measures aimed at reducing access to contraceptives. For instance, according to The Texas Tribune, Texas now requires parental consent for minors to get prescription birth control. This effectively ends the Title X program, which had previously offered confidential contraception to minors regardless of age, income, or immigration status. 

Phillips describes how the topic of free contraceptives is discussed within the College Republicans club.

“Ultimately, it is a personal choice, and most people recognize that at this point, we don’t live in a theocracy,” Phillips said. “Would our group hand out Plan B? Of course not, because we’re generally opposed to it on a personal basis, on a moral basis, but other groups are going to do what they’re going to do.”

Roure believes that there is still work to be done following the election results, starting with clear communication. 

“Communication between medical organizations, administration, RSOs, and students, must remain at the forefront of the issue — without communication, there is only misunderstanding,” Roure said. “I think that it is going to be key in the coming years to maintain communication amongst all opinions, not to necessarily agree, but to at the very least try and understand opposing views.”

As reproductive health remains a key concern on college campuses post-election, students are looking forward to how RSOs such as PRF and medical organizations on campus such as Student Wellness will respond and continue to facilitate discussion and collaboration.

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