Students protest birth-control prices
By:
Nicole Guth
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: News
A rally for affordable birth control flooded the corner of Craig Street and Forbes Avenue yesterday to protest the rising costs of oral contraceptives.
About 12 people from Pitt, Chatham University, Carnegie Mellon University and Planned Parenthood stood outside Kiva Han coffeehouse from 12:30 p.m to 1 p.m. in the rain.
The spot was chosen because of its location between Pitt and CMU, said Adrienne Johnson, a Pitt senior and intern at Planned Parenthood.
Prices for oral contraceptives began doubling at college health centers last year as a result of a change in the Medicaid rebate law, introduced to save almost $40 billion over five years, that ended an incentive for drug companies to provide discounts to colleges.
Manufacturers of birth-control pills now have to pay more money to participate in these spending programs, so they cut costs elsewhere - especially at student health clinics.
The protesters carried pink, black and white signs with statements such as "Birth Control Not Bans" and "Honk 4 Affordable Birth Control."
Planned Parenthood sponsored the signs as well as stickers and postcards.
Postcards were used to collect signatures and will be sent to Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa. The signatures insist that Congress restore affordable birth control to colleges. It encourages Doyle to persuade his colleagues to take action to reverse the price increases.
The universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah and Nebraska, as well as Columbia, Dartmouth, Barnard and Princeton, have already drafted resolutions urging Congress to fix the pricing.
Johnson said the rally would continue at last night's Student Government Board meeting, where she is hoping Pitt can come up with a way to put birth control in the budget and get the pills back to the prices they were before.
The four types of birth control affected are Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, NuvaRing, OrthoEvra (the patch) and Dessagin.
Currently, these types of birth control cost $46, $46, $50 and $48, respectively, under brand names at Student Health.
About 12 people from Pitt, Chatham University, Carnegie Mellon University and Planned Parenthood stood outside Kiva Han coffeehouse from 12:30 p.m to 1 p.m. in the rain.
The spot was chosen because of its location between Pitt and CMU, said Adrienne Johnson, a Pitt senior and intern at Planned Parenthood.
Prices for oral contraceptives began doubling at college health centers last year as a result of a change in the Medicaid rebate law, introduced to save almost $40 billion over five years, that ended an incentive for drug companies to provide discounts to colleges.
Manufacturers of birth-control pills now have to pay more money to participate in these spending programs, so they cut costs elsewhere - especially at student health clinics.
The protesters carried pink, black and white signs with statements such as "Birth Control Not Bans" and "Honk 4 Affordable Birth Control."
Planned Parenthood sponsored the signs as well as stickers and postcards.
Postcards were used to collect signatures and will be sent to Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa. The signatures insist that Congress restore affordable birth control to colleges. It encourages Doyle to persuade his colleagues to take action to reverse the price increases.
The universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah and Nebraska, as well as Columbia, Dartmouth, Barnard and Princeton, have already drafted resolutions urging Congress to fix the pricing.
Johnson said the rally would continue at last night's Student Government Board meeting, where she is hoping Pitt can come up with a way to put birth control in the budget and get the pills back to the prices they were before.
The four types of birth control affected are Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, NuvaRing, OrthoEvra (the patch) and Dessagin.
Currently, these types of birth control cost $46, $46, $50 and $48, respectively, under brand names at Student Health.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 9
Eric Williams
posted 3/05/08 @ 10:56 AM EST
Tax-payers should not be forced to fund students' licentious lifestyles. If you can't pay for your own birth control, don't have sex. Your libido is not my problem. (Continued…)
Amanda
posted 3/27/08 @ 6:32 PM EST
I take birth control pills for a medical problem, and my insurance company at least does cover half of the cost. Still, if someone doesn't have a medical condition, that doesn't mean they should pay large sums of money for birth control. (Continued…)
Chris Saylor
posted 3/31/08 @ 3:30 PM EST
I agree with Eric but not in the way he is describing it. Many medications are not cost efficient for the users. The protest should be more geared towards pushing pharmaceuticals to manufacture better generic versions of the pill instead of new "more effective" pills. (Continued…)
PittAlum
posted 4/01/08 @ 10:19 PM EST
Though I understand the concerns of Chris and Eric (no one wants to pay for promiscuity, myself included) its funny how the two opposers here are men. (Continued…)
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