Group fights to lower cost of birth control pill

by Hayley McCullough

Daily Lobo

The cost of oral contraceptives at the Student Health Center went up this year, but a student group is raising money to help students cover the increase.

Prices raised from between $5 and $15 per month to $25 to $50 per month, said Shannon Niebuhr, a member of the Reproductive Justice Coalition.

"If students don't have scholarships or are paying for college themselves, and they are trying to pay for their birth control, that can be very detrimental to their budget," Niebuhr said.

The Reproductive Justice Coalition will be in Smith Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today to raise money for students who can't afford birth control.

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 caused the price increase. The act forced drug companies that gave discounts to college health centers to pay more to participate in Medicaid, so the companies stopped giving discounts.

The Student Health Center had enough discounted birth control to last until the middle of the spring semester, but it ran out.

The organization will also be advocating to lower the cost at the event.

Students will be asked to fill out postcards addressed to state legislators to tell them why birth control prices should be reduced, said Molly Maguire-Marshall, a member of the organization.

The postcards will be mailed by the coalition, she said.

UNM faculty and staff were asked to make pledges for every call or postcard sent, Maguire-Marshall said.

"We basically contacted every professor at UNM, one way or another, and told them what we were doing," she said, "If they were in support of us, they would be really generous."

Most faculty members made a flat donation of $50, she said.

Some faculty members made $2 pledges for every phone call, she said. Others pledged 50 cents for every 10 postcards sent,

she said.

There will also be a donation box and baked goods for sale to help raise money, Niebuhr said.

The coalition raised about $600 this semester, Maguire-Marshall said.

The goal is to raise $1,000,

she said.

The Reproductive Justice Coalition is made up of three groups on campus: Voices for Planned Parenthood; NARAL Pro-Choice; and The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Last spring, The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice raised $1,000 to make birth control more affordable, Maguire-Marshall said.

She said the coalition gave birth control to eight girls who could not afford it.

Niebuhr said the Reproductive Justice Coalition wants to let

students know what it means to be pro-choice.

Marshall said being pro-choice is not just about abortion.

"It has a lot more to do with educating yourself and being aware of the risks and preventative measures, such as birth control," she said, "That is why we are advocating for birth control to be cheaper on campus."

Megan Dawson, a coalition member, said education is a vital part of being pro-choice.

"Our group promotes giving students the proper sex education so they can make the right choices - the choices that are right for them," she said.

At the event, students can sign up to attend Lobby Day with the coalition, she said.

Students will go to Santa Fe on Jan. 22 to lobby for women's rights, she said.

"They need to be aware that the prices have gone up," she said. "If they do want to take action, then they should."