Controversy swept the campus of a Pennsylvania university this month with the introduction of a vending machine that distributes the morning-after pill.
Shippensburg University made news by allowing students to buy the Plan B pill for $25 through the machine, located in a private room inside the school’s health center that can be accessed by students aged 17 or older who provide identification.
Though it isn’t usually accessed through a vending machine, Plan B is an over-the-counter medication. The emergency contraceptive can prevent pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure, though it isn’t effective in terminating an existing pregnancy, according to LSU Student Health Center brochures.
The Shippensburg University health center offers its vending machine for student convenience, and the machine also offers other over-the-counter products like cough drops, condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests, according to the school’s website.
LSU students can’t get Plan B from a vending machine, but the pill is readily available to students 17 or older at the University pharmacy for $25.
“We are here for you,” said pharmacy supervisor Carolyn Lancon. “You don’t actually have to see a clinician.”
Students who buy the pill receive a form with facts about the contraceptive and a list of yes-or-no questions, which provides privacy for the student while telling the pharmacist if any other immediate action needs to be taken.
Lancon said she thinks it’s a better idea to get the pill from a medical professional, especially when the Student Health Center offers pharmacists who are always available and never threatening or judgemental.
“I personally think that it is a safe-guard to get it from a medical provider,” Lancon said.
Early childhood education freshman Jasmine Whittington said she didn’t think Shippensburg’s Plan B vending machine is a good idea.
“That is kind of weird,” Whittington said. “It sends off not a good message.”
For LSU’s Health Promotion Coordinator Kathy Saichuk, the concern is about safety. She said not speaking to a pharmacist or clinician about side effects or other health concerns before taking the medication could cause problems.
“My concern is the health risk involved,” Saichuk said.
When Plan B was first introduced, it was meant for emergencies only, according to Saichuk.
The pill is intended to give women options if they are sexually assaulted or if a condom breaks, but it’s not a routine contraceptive, she said.