The XX Factor: Slate women blog about politics, etc...

Birth Control for College Students

I’m not sure if the bedraggled Hillary will win women’s sympathy. But it blows my minds that college students who can no longer get low-cost contraception at school aren’t getting much sympathy from Slate readers. College health centers have long gotten discount pills from drug companies, which the companies are apparently happy to provide. Restoring those discounts involves a tiny technical fix that costs taxpayers nothing. And yet, check out these comments from the Fray. From Lloyd 667:

“I am all in favor of cheap birth control. In fact, I favor universal health coverage that includes prescription drugs of all kinds. But why should college students be especially favored here?”

 And from burgettk, a “female, recent college graduate”:

 “…I can't think of a single female who couldn't find an RA or female friend to drive them to a Planned Parenthood, where birth control can be had for free or inexpensively. Even after price hikes, I was still able to get mine for $20/month, and I was classified as a 'higher-income' patient.

“The consequences of not being a responsible sexually active person are just too great. If my choice comes to having a new pair of shoes or not having a baby before I'm 100% ready to do so, I'll go barefoot every time.”

 But wait a minute. Supporting this fix does not imply that college women aren’t resourceful or that none of them could find other options if they needed to. But why make it harder for them than it needs to be? Drug companies are willing to give the discounts. Students clearly benefit. You and I pay nothing. Unless you’re basically hostile to family planning, where’s the downside?