Citizens of Gainesville came together last Thursday to bring awareness to the high price and lack of accessibility of the morning after pill, or MAP, on campus.
The Gainesville chapter of the National Women’s Liberation held a speakout at the Reitz Union North Lawn demanding the emergency contraceptive in vending machines around campus.
Gainesville’s chapter of the NWL began advocating for student access to MAP in December. Alia DeLong, the chair of the campus committee, said the group received unofficial word in February that Reitz Union representatives didn’t want the vending machines where conservative donors and new students’ parents could see them.
“That is what prompted the speakout because it is clear that money from conservatives is more important than women's health,” DeLong said.
MAP is currently available for $10 at the UF Infirmary. The NWL wants MAP in vending machines around campus at the same price. DeLong hopes they will reduce barriers to contraception and help women avoid unintended pregnancies.
The pill is most effective when taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex. Immediate access is crucial, hence the vending machines.
“The idea of a vending machine came when we saw a NYTimes article about something similar at UC Davis last Fall,” DeLong wrote in an email. “Then we did some more research and realized it's at at least seven top universities.”
DeLong said UF is the first target for the vending machines, but she wants to have them in Santa Fe College and the county health department too.
DeLong said the speakout should cause UF to reconsider the initial refusal. Until it receives a response from the university, the NWL has no further events on the issue set up.
However, the NWL has a general meeting set for Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at 200 NE First St., Suite 201, and the event is open to the public.
DeLong said the UF NWL conducted a survey to ask women about their experience with MAP, and they found that many women don’t get the pill due to significant barriers with access or personal embarrassment.
“Everyone who needs emergency contraception should be able to access it without embarrassment, like not having to carry a large theft-proof box or having to ask multiple store employees for assistance,” DeLong wrote in a press release.
Members of the National Women’s Liberation set up before starting the speakout outside of the Reitz Union.
