Good public (and campus) policy

This week, Pro-Choice Vox chapters across the country are raising awareness about the national birth control availability crisis, which is felt particularly on college campuses. The Pill is the most commonly used method of contraception among women under 30 owing to its effectiveness, safety and affordability.  Each year, publicly funded contraceptive services prevent 1.3 million unintended pregnancies and the 630,000 abortions that would occur as a result.  But in 2007, the Federal Deficit Reduction Act radically altered the availability of the Pill in the United States. Aimed at reducing government spending, the legislation removed incentives for pharmaceutical companies to offer discounted prices to clinics across the country, including University Health Services (UHS). This resulted in a 560 percent price increase - $40 a month - for oral contraception. We are grateful to the University for making the responsible decision to begin subsidizing the increased cost last December. Students can now purchase the Pill at McCosh at the earlier $6 per month price.

Recent opinion pieces appearing in The Daily Princetonian condemned University efforts to make birth control more accessible. Emma Yates '11 and Francisco Nava '09 denounced University-sponsored distribution of condoms, while Lauren Kustner '11 chastised University officials for their decision to subsidize the Pill. These critics, however vocal, are out of touch with the majority of the student body. Given that more than 60 percent of all women in our age group currently use birth control and many more will use it at some point during college,  it should come as no surprise that former USG president Rob Biederman '08 received hundreds of complaints from students who learned of the price hike.  Princeton Pro-Choice Vox received countless inquiries too, primarily from women already using the Pill who could not afford the increased cost. Fortunately, a coalition of student groups won University funding to ensure that all students can afford the Pill.

The University's decision to improve birth control availability in no way threatens any student's freedom to abstain from sexual activity. Students have every right to adopt and advocate a lifestyle of abstinence. But we object to recent attempts to lobby against University support for birth control availability. Frankly, the paternalism exhibited by some of our peers on these opinion pages - such as Nava's argument that UHS should withhold condoms as a means of limiting sexual freedom or Kustner's identical argument about the birth control pill - is disturbing and offensive. Trying to limit access to condoms and contraceptives on campus is a poor substitute for constructing a compelling argument for abstinence.

Turning our attention to the national landscape, we are deeply concerned that many students still face exorbitant out-of-pocket costs for the Pill. According to the American College Health Association, few other institutions will have the financial resources to follow Princeton's example and reduce student costs.  Fortunately, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced the Prevention through Affordable Access Act. The bill calls for the restoration of price exemptions for university health centers and community clinics, at no cost to taxpayers.  While the bill waits in Congressional committees, women everywhere are struggling to pay for contraceptives, and some will choose cheaper, less-effective methods of protection when they can no longer afford the Pill.

Pro-Choice Vox' mission is to promote reproductive freedom on this campus and across the country. We believe that sexual activity is a matter of personal choice and we urge sexually active students to take advantage of the many options available to reduce the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Improving contraception use is by far the most effective way to reduce abortion rates.  So once again, we invite Princeton Pro-Life to join us as we advocate better availability and consistent use of birth control on campus. Please stop by our information table at Frist Campus Center this week to learn more about birth control access and share any of your concerns with our group.

Rohini Rao and Lilli Dash contributed research to this article. Sara Viola and Sierra Gronewald are members of Princeton Pro-Choice Vox. They can be reached at pchoice@princeton.edu.