How Students Are Fighting for Birth Control Access

"When Lilliana Cassells moved to Alabama from New York for college, she was not prepared for how the relocation would affect her access to vital healthcare. But in Alabama, reproductive care is not seen as vital. "It was just a culture shock coming down here and seeing how vastly different it is from New York," said Cassells, who has been on and off birth control for health reasons throughout her life. "Up in the Northeast, this was never something that I was concerned about.""

"On campus, she has met people who are scared to bring up birth control to their parents, or have no idea where to get it. So Cassells decided to get involved with reproductive rights work on campus, joining a growing army of college students nationwide who are fighting to make contraceptive access easier. With reproductive rights organization Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, Cassells tables on campus every Friday to give out free condoms and Plan B, and offers a free Plan B delivery service to students."

"Private institutions typically determine birth control policy, but public universities are at the mercy of their state laws, which have grown far more restrictive with the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade. Since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark case, numerous states have increased the barrier to accessing high-quality contraceptive care, with lower-income people bearing the brunt of the fallout. "In a state where there is restricted abortion access, you need to be very vigilant with making sure that you're staying safe because you're being put at risk by the legislation here," s"

Lilliana Cassells moved from New York to Alabama for college and found that relocation changed her access to healthcare, especially reproductive care. She described a culture shock and noted that reproductive care was not a concern in the Northeast, while Alabama presented different attitudes. On campus, she encountered students who were afraid to discuss birth control with parents or did not know where to obtain it. She joined reproductive rights work with Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, tabling every Friday to distribute free condoms and Plan B and offering free Plan B delivery to students. Public universities must follow state laws, and after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, many states tightened access to contraceptive care, increasing risks for lower-income people.

Read at The Nation