Plan B made available on campus

Joshua Goodman Assistant Life Editor

As Plan B (formerly known as the “morning after pill”) becomes available over the counter nationwide, Vassar College Health Services plans to increase the availability and accessibility of Plan B on campus as well.

Plan B has been available by prescription to Vassar students for over 10 years, and starting next semester, the emergency contraceptive will be available over the counter at Baldwin Health Services. New York state pharmacies began to sell Plan B to anyone over 18 on Nov. 18.

Plan B, an emergency contraceptive to be used within 120 hours after unprotected sex, works by using progesterone. Progesterone prevents pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation, affecting egg movement down the fallopian tubes, and changing the lining of the uterus.

Before Plan B was available 10 years ago, birth control pills were prescribed after intercourse to prevent pregnancy, which sometime entailed taking as many as four to six pills in one day. The amount of estrogen in this dosage was usually enough to make stomach sickness a major problem for women who took the medication. Progesterone is seen as a safer in preventing pregnancy than estrogen.

Since a prescription will no longer be needed for Plan B, students will not be required to obtain the permission of a medical staff member to receive Plan B. Now Vassar students will be able to go to Baldwin, see a nurse, read a fact sheet, and then receive the pill. Currently, students can obtain the pills from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., but next semester Plan B will become available in the middle of the night.

Plan B at Baldwin currently costs $25, but the price will soon go up, corresponding with the new packaging and shipping costs that have affected the drug’s price nationwide. The new price, which due to Plan B’s over-the-counter status will not be covered by Vassar’s insurance plan, has yet to be finalized by Health Services. The decision will ultimately be made by Director of Health Services Irena Balawajder, and will be made official at the start of next semester.

According to Health Services Nursing Supervisor Anne Dadarria, Plan B is a “great thing because it’s good for peace of mind, great against preventing unwanted pregnancies, and has few side-effects.” Minor side-effects include fatigue, headaches, and irregular periods. Dadarria, who also works part time at Planned Parenthood, believes that the increased availability of Plan B is a positive step in providing comprehensive birth control options to students.

The increased demand that will be caused by the policy change regarding Plan B is likely to be sizable, according to Dadarria, because more students will want to have it in addition to other forms of birth control. She encouraged the drug to be viewed as a precautionary measure and noted that Baldwin’s supply of Plan B will be adjusted to accomodate demand.

Health Service facilities at other colleges have been making the according changes as well. At Harvard University, Plan B is covered by the school’s medical insurance policy, and students interested in obtaining the contraceptive will need to complete a questionnare regarding their sexual histories. Students at Wesleyan University seeking Plan B will be expected to fill in the standard walk-in form, and once their medical chart is pulled they will be charged $12 for the pills. At Brown University, Plan B can be directly obtained with proper identification, and the cost of the drug is $31. On nights and weekends, Brown will only distribute Plan B on an immediate-need basis.

It is believed that Plan B has no long-term effects on fertility. Plan B is estimated to be more than 99 percent effective, but Dadarria noted that she has seen cases of pregnancy occur with use of Plan B.

Campus Health Organization for Information, Counseling, and Education (CHOICE) President Monica Whitcher ’07 said, “Baldwin is definitely moving in the right direction and sending the right message to women. [They’re saying] ‘we know you practice safe sex, and we know accidents happen. You’re adult women who can make safe choices about your reproductive health.’”
Additional reporting by Lauren Sutherland, Life Editor