OPINION & EDITORIAL
Students' reproductive rights in jeopardy
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Also by Guest Columnist:
- Stop America's 'green scare' (December 10, 2007)
- Greek sexuality misconceptions unfair (December 6, 2007)
- Security fee shows UWPD's prejudice (December 6, 2007)
- Vote Democrat, vote equal LGBT rights (December 6, 2007)
- Free trade stagnates upward mobility (December 6, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Costly Contraceptives (September 1, 2004)
- Bill unfairly hikes birth-control cost (January 18, 2007)
- Morning after pill must remain prescription-based (March 23, 2006)
- Open dialogue necessary (April 17, 2006)
- Both sides now: Bills cause a sex education controversy in public schools (December 1, 2005)
by Guest Columnist
Monday, April 16, 2007
This is the first part of a five-part series promoting Sex Out Loud's annual Sexual Health Week.
Throughout history, people have devised and implemented evolving forms of contraceptives, but today, access to some of the most popular forms of hormonal birth control are threatened by legislation dramatically increasing costs to students. One of the most popular and common forms of contraception is hormonal contraception, including the pill, the patch, the ring and the shot. Hormonal birth controls contain synthetically produced estrogen and progestin that mimic the body's natural hormones and work by preventing ovulation. Birth control drugs are some of the most extensively studied drugs, and research has shown hormonal contraception methods to be roughly 98 to 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Hormonal contraceptives also offer additional health benefits, such as decreasing the incidence of ovarian and endometrial cancer, pelvic inflammation, ovarian cysts, benign breast disease and regulating irregular and painful menstrual cycles. Hormonal contraceptives also provide social benefits by giving women greater power and control over their bodies and their reproduction. There are concerns and side effects associated with hormonal birth control methods, however, given ample longitudinal research and the popularity of birth control methods, the health benefits, convenience and effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives outweigh possible disadvantages.
Students constitute a financially burdened demographic with high educational expenses and little time to work. Today, birth control is available in several safe, effective and convenient forms to fit most women's lifestyles, and cost is the only remaining barrier for women attempting to obtain birth control. Until recently, college health centers were able to buy contraceptives for minimal prices under legislation allowing drug companies to circumvent Medicaid pricing regulations when selling drugs to charitable organizations like university health services. This legal and subsidy-free arrangement worked to benefit both universities and pharmaceutical companies. Students were offered an extremely valuable service of affordable contraceptives priced around $7 to $8 per month.
Universities also profited by selling these cheap drugs to students at a dollar or two more than the purchasing cost. Additionally, drug companies benefited by establishing thousands of lifelong customers by offering extremely low-priced contraceptives to women during their college years. The Federal Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005, effective as of Jan. 1, 2007, forbids the continuation of this valuable service. The effects of this legislation are grave, and University Health Services prices for several forms of birth control have increased by several hundred percent to prices as high as $35 to $50. This new legislation overburdens already financially strapped students on campus. Students need to be educated and informed citizens who are aware of this legislation and must work to stop and prevent threats to their reproductive rights, including the right to affordable and accessible birth control.
Although this new legislation paints a gloomy outlook, students should utilize and promote the many campus resources and organizations committed to continuing to provide students with affordable contraceptives. Several campus organizations, including Sex Out Loud, UHS, the Campus Women's Center and the LGBT Campus Center all offer a variety of free barrier methods including insertive and receptive condoms and dental dams — excellent forms of contraception that significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections. UHS has also recently stocked its pharmacy with lower-priced generic brands ranging from roughly $15 to $37 for a one-month supply. The Wisconsin Family Planning Waiver Program is an excellent federal Medicaid program that permits women aged 15 to 44 to receive a variety of family planning services, including office visits, contraceptive services and supplies, Pap smears, testing for sexually transmitted infections and annual exams. Most students financially qualify for this free and confidential program, and a simple 30-minute visit to access.wisconsin.gov is all it takes to apply. A membership card is mailed to qualified applicants within 30 days. Taking advantage of a family insurance plan that covers contraception is another option for many students who remain on family insurance plans as students.
Awareness and utilization of available campus resources is important, but students must continue to fight dangerous legislation that threatens reproductive rights and health by making birth control unaffordable and inaccessible to students. Several popular and new forms of birth control, including lower-dosed hormonal pills and non-daily birth control methods like the NuvaRing are not yet available in a generic brand. Not all students qualify for the Wisconsin Family Planning Waiver Program. Issues of privacy and confidentiality keep students from using family insurance plans. All of these reasons coupled with the financial struggles of students make fighting legislation such as the DRA necessary to prevent future attacks on access to birth control and to maintain the availability of affordable and accessible birth control methods to students on campus.
Ariel Trangle (trangle@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in history. She is also a Sex Out Loud staff member.
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 7:36am):
Just for the record, how much does a gross of rubbers cost at Sam's Club? Who can't afford $35/month? Perhaps the black spandex pants should come with a month's worth of premarin. Maybe your parents would be interested in not having grandchildren right away, so ask them for cash.
If all else fails, give the love child up for adoption. As long as it's white, it'll find a loving home immediately.
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 9:27am):
"social benefits"? What the hell is that? Maybe I missed something in high school health class, but if you don't want to have kids, then all you have to do is not have sex. I know, it seems too simple to be true! The LGBT group is concerned about birth control? I thought it was medically impossible for homosexuals to get pregnant. Geez, I really missed something in biology class.
Why are you so concerned about the increased costs of a non essential product? Milk, bread, clothes, electricity--these are essential things whose costs you need to worry about. But if you can't afford to spread your legs and get plowed this weekend, then don't do it!
Contraceptives help prevent the spread of stds. Again, why would you have sex with someone who you thought might have the tiniest chance of having a disease. I don't go around sticking my penis into every orifice and hole I find, it's just common sense.
It seems I have been greatly misinformed about human biology: sex is inevitable and unavoidable, people willingly expose themselves to disease, and gays can get pregnant.
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 12:31pm):
"I don't go around sticking my penis into every orifice and hole I find"
You don't actually expect us to believe that, do you? I bet you've made some orifices sad in your time.
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 3:28pm):
9:27 am:
Yes, it's true that if you don't want to get pregnant, not having sex is the easiest and most effective way to avoid it. However, do you really think that EVERYONE is going to follow through with that? Probably not; if they did, our unintended pregnancy rates (and abortion rates) wouldn't be so high in the United States. We've already tried the abstinence only approach, and it isn't working. Regarding the LGBT comment, of course they are concerned about birth control. It may be impossible for homosexuals to get pregnant, but anyone can get an STD, which can be just as severe of a consequence. And what about bisexuals? They may have sexual relations with people of the opposite sex. Same goes with transgender individuals.
"why would you have sex with someone who you thought might have the tiniest chance of having a disease." -Unless you've been tested, not just once in life, but RECENTLY, you've got more than "the tiniest chance" of having an STD. These diseases are sexually transmitted, yes, but in some cases the general virus can be obtained in other ways (eg herpes and cold sores). Until someone can be tested, contraception is necessary for STD prevention.
The basic point is that despite what people "should" do (which is arbitrary enough), the focus should be on what they ARE doing. People are having sex; so why not educate them and make more resources available so that they can have SAFE sex?
So yes, you have been misinformed about human sexuality. Sex has happened, is happening, and will happen. So I suggest that you use the mass amounts of information available to continue to become more informed about the facts instead of choosing to stick with the ignorance that contributes to the already pressing problems that we have regarding STDs and pregnancy in this country.
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 4:47pm):
It's just too bad that it doesn't work the other way around - that you have to have to take a pill to have a child.
Maybe some rudimentary licensing procedure chould be required in order to get a "birth pill"?
Anonymous (April 16, 2007 @ 6:17pm):
"I don't go around sticking my penis into every orifice and hole I find"
I'm pretty sure that's not by your choice.
Diana Maldonado (April 17, 2007 @ 1:20am):
Is is incredibly stupid on the part of women today to pawn their bodies out and use them as mere semen receptacles for male partners.
No respect for yourself and you'll get no respect from men~I learned the hard way!
Yeah, they may want it but after they get it, they disrespect you. Semen receptacles, that's what they see us as.
Better to respect your body and wait for someone who truly admires you for you as a person and not merely as a source of sexual release.
Anonymous (April 18, 2007 @ 12:18pm):
Pawn their bodies out as semen receptacles... Are you saying that, as women, we do not get the same pleasure out of sex that men do?
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