CHICAGO (AP) — College student Maya Roman has perfected the process: a text message, a walk to a specific location, and a paper bag handed over with condoms and Plan B emergency contraception. At DePaul University, this is the sole method students have for accessing some sexual health resources, she mentioned.
DePaul, a Catholic institution located in Chicago, bans the distribution of any type ofbirth control on its campus.
To bypass this issue, a student group operates an underground contraceptive distribution network known as “the womb service.” The group was previously the university’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, but it has been functioning off-campus since DePaul removed its status as a student organization in June.
At Catholic institutions, which typically do not provide contraceptives on their grounds or atschool-run health centers, student organizations have taken action to address what they perceive as deficiencies inreproductive health care. It frequently involves dealing with resistance from university officials.
Consistent with the church’s stance against premarital sex and contraception, numerous Catholic colleges limit access to birth control on their campuses. Student activists argue that they are offering crucial support on campuses that serve students from various religious backgrounds.
At DePaul, the university stated it expelled the student organization due to its connection with Planned Parenthood, the country’s leading abortion provider. It also mentioned it “retains the right to limit the distribution of medical or health supplies/devices on university grounds that it considers unsuitable in relation to the institution’s mission and values.”
I couldn’t believe it,” Roman stated about the group being compelled to break up. “It was a wave of sadness.
Actions to limit access to birth control have increased throughout the United States.
Beyond college campuses, an increasing number of states led by Republicans have made efforts to limit access to birth control. Certain state legislatures have tried to remove emergency contraception and other contraceptive methods from state Medicaid coverage or have proposed bills that require parental approval for minors seeking birth control.
The Trump administrationhas also halted financial support for family planning clinics that offer free or affordable contraception and removed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information on birth control from official government websites.
On the other hand, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a member of the Democratic party, enacted a law in August that mandates colleges and universities to provide contraception and abortion medication through on-campus pharmacies and student health centers, although this requirement is limited to public institutions.
We are witnessing a significant attempt to limit access to birth control and abortion across the U.S., not only on Catholic campuses,” said Jill Delston, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has researched access to contraception. “On Catholic campuses, this issue may be even more pronounced.
Activist organizations engage with students immediately outside the university grounds.
Roman, an economics student at DePaul University, was introduced to reproductive health by her mother, who works as a nurse. Upon arriving at campus, she found that many of her classmates had limited understanding of sexual health. At the same time, she observed that DePaul’s resources related to sexual and reproductive health were insufficient.
“It was about recognizing a gap in the community and doing my best to tackle it immediately,” she stated.
Currently, the group she oversees gets approximately 15 to 25 requests per week for birth control and organizes sexual education workshops.
“These institutions often fail to offer access to contraception, prompting students to take action to address these shortcomings, ensuring that other students are not hindered in their ability to manage their reproductive choices and freedom,” said Maddy Niziolek, a development specialist at Catholics for Choice, an organization that supports students in challenging the limitations on contraceptive access imposed by Catholic universities.
At Loyola University, a Catholic school located in Chicago, Students for Reproductive Justice provides condoms, lubricant, pregnancy tests, and emergency contraception directly to students. They can receive up to 20 requests in one night. The organization also organizes Free Condom Friday, during which members distribute condoms at bus stops near the campus.
The group sought recognition as a registered student organization in 2016 but was turned down, according to Alyssa Suarez Tineo, a junior majoring in women and gender studies and a coordinator for SRJ Loyola.
Loyola’s motto is ‘cura personalis,’ which means care for the whole person,” she stated. “This is just one instance of Loyola failing to meet its own promises.
At the University of Notre Dame, the student organization Irish 4 Reproductive Health was established in 2017 to initiate a legal action against the university’s choice to not provide birth control coverage for students and staff. The group currently provides contraceptive supplies off-campus.
Gabriella Shirtcliff, co-president of the group, stated that their efforts “help lower the chances of an unexpected pregnancy that could lead to an abortion.”
Catholic colleges are viewed by organizers as “difficult settings”
Limited access to birth control can significantly affect students’ lives in profound and lasting ways, Delston noted.
“What’s on the line for these students is their control over their own bodies — the path their lives will take, their capacity to achieve their ambitions, earn a degree, build a career, or start a family when it aligns with their own timing,” she stated.
In 2020, the American Society for Emergency Contraception initiated a campaign to support student activists in increasing access to contraception on university campuses. The organization has assisted in placing 150 vending machines that provide emergency contraception across campuses.
At Catholic universities, students typically begin with something smaller than a vending machine, according to Kelly Cleland, the group’s executive director. The initial step, she explained, is assisting students in understanding what is achievable.
“This is a lesson for them on how to organize in difficult situations,” she stated.
At DePaul, the students who previously offered the womb service have rebranded themselves as Students United for Reproductive Justice and intend to keep providing contraceptives this semester. Roman expressed her hope that more students at Catholic institutions will question their universities’ policies on reproductive health.
It can be done; it’s achievable,” she stated. “And you’re not the only one involved in this struggle.
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