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Should the Birth Control Pill Be Free?
Filed under: In The News, Sex, Teen Culture
Are birth control pills preventative medicine? Credit: Getty Images
Some students are all for free birth control pills. After all, student health centers have been handing out free condoms for years. George Washington University freshman Jessi Payton points out that, just because her fellow classmates aren't taking the pill, "that doesn't mean they aren't having sex." Joy Welborn, one of Payton's classmates, disagrees, telling Newsweek that "If you are going to have sex, you need to be adult enough to fund contraception yourself."
What do you think? Do you think the birth control pill should be free for college students?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
12-13-2010 @ 1:18PM
dougalcandy said...My daughter called from college and asked if she could go on the pill and have my prescription plan pay for it. I told her if she was adult enough to have sex, then she was old enough to NOT have Mommy and Daddy pay for it. End of discussion.
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12-13-2010 @ 2:01PM
Alicia said...I'd love to see free birth control. I'm tired of paying $35 month and that's on the cheap side. If I'm not in a committed relationship, I still use condoms, but it's nice to know if something happens and it breaks, there's no scare. Also helps regulate my period and I don't cramp so badly I can't stand. And it cleared up my acne. Granted, I don't think sex is by an means a bad thing, so long as it's partaken of responsibly, but that's how I was raised.
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12-13-2010 @ 9:01PM
Heather said...So being on the pill means you have loose morals and having sex with every male that walks by? Many people use it to regulate thier periods, it can also be used if you are prone to ovarian cysts because certain brands shrink them. If they are asking for the pill you should be greatful they are taking responsibility for their bodies. Most college students are still under thier parents drug plan. If you child is 18 why are they calling you for permission to go on the pill anyways. If the pharmasist called he violated your childs rights.
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12-13-2010 @ 9:46PM
dougalcandy said...She is calling for permission to use my drug plan, and because she knows what would happen to her if this prescription showed up without permission. It's called respect for your parents. She worked a job this summer and made over $300 a week-she can certainly afford her own birth control. If she wants to be an adult and do adult things, she can take care of them herself, like an adult. By the way, she is totally fine with this!
12-13-2010 @ 5:37PM
Karlyne said...I'm a college student on the pill, and my parents pay for it.
Let's look at this:
My parents pay for my education, aka my life.
Everyone knows what would happen if I got pregnant: I would need my parent's economic support.
So, the pill is preventive to me having a child, and my parents helping me out with money.
But money's tight, and sometimes it's hard to scrape up $60 to pay for this.
Free birth control would be a dream come true. Why pay $60 for something that could and should be free?
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12-13-2010 @ 6:27PM
Alicia said...Agreed. I don't have exactly the same situation because I have to pay for college and BC myself, but if I got pregnant, I would definitely end up burdening my parents again, or on welfare. Let's face it, it's cheaper for everyone in the long run to make the pill free.
12-14-2010 @ 6:58AM
Sandyone said...Karlyne,
Please explain to me why birth control pills should be free. I get why you *want* them to be free, but I can't come up with a good reason for why they *should* be free.
You misunderstand the word 'free'. The pills cost someone. Why do you think that someone shouldn't be you (or your parents)?
12-17-2010 @ 10:46AM
Alicia said...How about the fact that if young women have to pay for birth control, they're more likely to forgo it. One scenario, they end up poor, on welfare, WIC, whatever and send the next 18 years struggling to make ends meet and as a drain on national resources. Another scenario, they have to drop out of college, but they manage to get a job that manages to keep them out of welfare, however, they won't get the job they were training for when they got pregnant. That is one less woman in the boardroom, political office, science lab, law/architecture firm, doctor's office, behind the camera, on set, in the newsroom or any other number of amazing careers she could have had that would have given her more of an opportunity to change the world and make it a better place. All it takes is one silly mistake, one night of regret and we lose a life of opportunity to drudgery.
12-29-2010 @ 6:37PM
Sandyone said...Alicia, all good reasons for a woman not to get pregnant, but that has nothing to do with why someone else should pay for your birth control pills.
Maybe you should by my organic meats and dairy. I can give you all sorts of reasons why my children should have that stuff so they can be wonderful, productive members of society.
If *I* want it, *I* should pay for it.
Don't get me wrong...I love free stuff. I just don't feel entitled to it. I appreciate it when I get it, but I plan my life so that I am responsible for it.
If you really want free birth control, take a class/read a book on NFP. You will learn that it works for women with wacky cycles. Every excuse for not using it has an answer. The only one that doesn't is "I don't feel like it because it's too hard", but that's not a very good reason to dismiss it and insist that someone else should pay you to use another method. Takes a bit of effort and self control, but it's a perfectly workable, free method of family planning. You want "the good stuff"? Pay for it yourself, please.
12-14-2010 @ 12:37AM
Elise said...I think birth control should be free. My freshman year of college, birth control pills were offered free of charge. I was young - 16 - dating a slightly older guy - 19. I started using the pill because it was free. After that year, I transferred from that school to another that was closer to home. Money was the biggest reason I transferred, but there were others (my parents were divorcing, etc.). My new school didn't offer free birth control pills. The least I would have to pay was about $30/month - money I just didn't have. As a 17-year-old naive know-it-all I figured everything would be ok. I was scared I would get pregnant but my boyfriend didn't like using condoms. Although it does take two to tango, he pressured me and pressured me every time until I gave in. He took advantage of me - and I let him. Shortly before my 18th birthday, I found out I was pregnant. I'm adopted so abortion wasn't an option for me. Because my family offered their support, I decided to keep my baby. Now, he's 5 and doing wonderfully. I'm finishing my last year of law school. True, everything worked out great for me. But, I live near family and my family was willing to help me. Not financially - I have worked all through school, sometimes working 2 or 3 jobs at a time when necessary. But I pay for everything except rent. Given my family's willingness to help and my unique drive to succeed and inability to accept money from anyone, I believe that my situation is exceptional. I also wouldn't change a thing - how could I? My son is amazing. But my son's father wasn't ready for parenthood. To this day, our son comes second to his goals. Thank goodness I got out of that destructive relationship before it was too late. But how many college students are ready for parenthood? How many of their parents are ready to be grandparents? Perhaps it is cynical, but kids will have sex - birth control or no. Kids are having sex earlier and earlier. I'm not immoral. I was just stupid. Most kids can do some pretty dumb things. Some experiment with drugs. Some drink excessively. You name it. That's part of growing up. So morals doesn't really have anything to do with it, especially when you think about a situation like mine where an older guy is pressuring a younger girl. So, free birth control should be combined with other preventive measures that discourage kids from having unprotected sex until they are completely ready to accept the consequences. Believe me, $30/month is way cheaper than pregnancy and everything that comes after.
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1-14-2011 @ 6:44PM
mominco said...No. Birth control should not be free. The very idea is ridiculous!
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1-21-2011 @ 9:14PM
Jessica said...Considering the population of the planet right now, dwindling resources, and competition among humans for these resources, birth control should be available to all women, regardless of economic status. So Yes for free birth control!
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1-21-2011 @ 9:38PM
College Student said...I am a college student and I do get free birth control. College is already expensive and I don't need another mouth to feed. I use condoms but sometimes they do break so being on birth control is a relief that I have back up protection. My mom told me i could use it under her insurance but i figured that me being 21 I'm more then old enough to do this on my own. and since i do pay the school $20 for health services im going to use it to my FULL BENEFIT since that is what its for. And i also think that free birth control would mean less pregnancies since teen are scared to buy condoms you can be anonymous at the clinic and protect yourself.
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1-21-2011 @ 10:33PM
thiskidiscool said...I'm a college student. I literally just drained my bank account by about 200 dollars paying for books. I have bc pills to regulate, among other medical reasons. Sex is on the back-burner, I've got way too much schoolwork to focus on. Not every college kid is going to use the pills as a way to go around willy nilly having sex. Some of us need them. It'd be great to get the pills for free. I'd be able to maintain my health and not break bank when I have other school expenses to break it for.
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1-22-2011 @ 10:00AM
MoetEtCadaver said...Male contraceptive is free at clinics. Why shouldn't female contraceptive be? If males take up the offer for free condoms, society calls him a responsible young man. But if a woman wants free birth control they can say, "she doesn't need sex. If she wants sex, she better be able to pay for it." If she cannot afford $35 a month for pills, how is she going to be able to afford $400 a month in child care? Make the pills free.
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