Opinion: USU needs anonymous access to contraceptives
*Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect their identity.
Alyssa was in her second year of study at her university when she had to stop when she got pregnant. Her relationship was non-consensual and coerced. She did not feel safe but felt unable to reach out to her family due to their strong religious beliefs and their lack of support for her decisions. Two weeks before the due date, she died due to complications with her pregnancy. Had she felt comfortable with her family, had sex before marriage not been a taboo topic and had she had proper resources offered to her, the outcome could have been drastically different.
Her situation is similar to other university students who come from religious backgrounds but differentiate in beliefs and/or morals from their parental figures. Because of this, USU should be using anonymous distribution for contraceptives, thus decreasing the risk of unplanned pregnancy and allowing for opportunities to continue education here at USU.
Currently, the resources are in very public locations. For example, the Campus Cash Coupons booklet has a free pregnancy test inside from the Center for Pregnancy Choices. The booklet was supplied in the Taggart Student Center on campus. These are easily accessible resources, with one even being free.
The resources are, however, not anonymous. The religious and social scrutiny is not just applicable to families; it applies to all those we interact with. Individuals purchasing these items can even feel scrutiny from strangers, even if it is just a figment of their imagination.
The fact that USU is one of the most conservative colleges in the U.S. makes it more disapproving for such methods, more so than other universities. If USU claims to be accepting to all students no matter their race, religion, ethnicity and disability, they should also be accepting to all students, no matter their social anxieties and pressure to live a certain lifestyle.
That is not to say there is not an abundance of discrete resources accessible to students. There are a variety of resources currently available through the Student Health and Wellness Center: IUD placement, implants, natural family planning, emergency contraception and testing for STI, to name a few. Contraceptive counseling with one of two female nurse practitioners is available for free (covered by student fees). The university also offers inexpensive generic birth control, as low as $15 a month, with the prescription available for pickup at a local pharmacy.
However, IUDs are considered more effective. One out of 100 women get pregnant with an IUD in place as opposed to the pill which is 6 to 9 women out of 100, according to Debbie Friedli, a medical assistant at the USU Student Health Center.
Friedli also said the Bayer Medical Group is a patient assistance program covered by grants that — if a USU student has no medical insurance and has a low income — will cover the cost of an IUD for the student.
There are many caring organizations and compassionate people at work here at USU to help. When Debbie Friedli was asked what she would want the students of USU to know about the resources available to them, she said, “We are here and happy to find what works best for them.”
A problem for students who may want to use contraceptives is that a statement is released to the parents on the use of insurance for IUD. Many insurance companies cover IUD and therefore alternative methods are not available.
Planned Parenthood is under similar limitations where the prices without insurance are too high, therefore insurance must be used. Planned Parenthood does have its own select resources and exceptions, but is not affiliated with Utah State University.
No matter your political stance, your religious stance or even your stance on how the student fee board should distribute student fees, there is no question every student at Utah State University should feel they have proper access to medical care.
Every student should feel they can come to this university and get their education. They should also feel they are a person with their individual problems, their individual backgrounds and should not be judged for them. Not being in the predominant religion, or even political party, can be daunting. It can make their decisions feel unwelcomed, their way of life feel wrong. Striving for continual improvement in resources, including those for safe sex, is a part of the safety and security our university can offer us.
Anonymous methods could be similar the University of Utah’s “Pleasure Packs,” which contain condoms and/or oral dams placed across campus to decrease association of location. To keep parents from seeing contraceptive purchases on insurance, the university can offer funding to individuals in certain circumstances, excluding the ones already covered by the state, such as rape and endangerment of a mother. The certain circumstance should be able to be worked out with the nurse practitioners, allowing the student to plead their case.
Anonymous contraceptive resources are for protecting students. Emily is a 19-year-old student currently attending Utah State University. She has an active sex life and wants to have a greater sense of security to decrease her risk of pregnancy. However, her parents who provide her insurance are very devoted to their religion and therefore do not approve of her choices.
If she gets any sort of medication, procedure or testing done under insurance, her parents will receive a statement through the insurance company. For fear of her parent’s disapproval, backlash or even possible disowning, Emily does not use the resources available because they are not anonymous. The resources also include STI testing which is recommended annually for sextually active women under the age of 25.
For these reasons, I believe having access to anonymous methods of obtaining contraceptives is important for the safety, health, and pursuit of education for a woman at Utah State University.
