Birth control gives women the power to choose. But what happens when a woman has to choose between basic necessities and birth control?
Although it was passed in 2005, it was not until this past January that the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) significantly raised the cost of birth control available to student clinics and health centers.
On Nov. 1, Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-NY, introduced the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act. If passed, the act would provide a no-cost technical fix to restore eligibility for college health centers and a safety net for providers to obtain low-cost birth control.
"The deficit in January was a provision that inadvertently raised the cost of birth control," said Christie Petrone, community affairs manager for Planned Parenthood in Memphis. "It was not intended to have the effect it had."
For the past 20 years, pharmaceutical companies have been selling birth control to heath centers for a lower price, allowing students to purchase it for $5-$10. The DRA ended up raising the cost to about $40-$50.
"It took something college women have depended on for a long time and made the price increase a lot," Petrone said.
Mary Hanks, senior psychology major, has been a member of The University of Memphis' Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood for two years.
"The cost went up, and it left people with three choices," she said. "One, stop using birth control altogether. Two, pay the more expensive price. Or three, find a new method."
Hanks said because of the position most students are financially in, they cannot afford birth control now.
The greatest fear is that women will not choose any method at all.
"Women are not going to stop having sex just because they can't afford their birth control," she said. "But they may resort to having unprotected sex."
Petrone said it is time for Congress to undo what the DRA did, whether it was an accident or not.
"It is obviously crucial to women, and something needs to be done," Petrone said. "It's been a slow process, but we are encouraged by the bill."
Hanks said she joined Vox to make herself more aware, and she hopes the prevention act will make students more aware as well.
"The cheaper something is, the more accessible it is," Hanks said. "It is important for people to know their options ... I didn't even know Voices for Planned Parenthood existed, and I consider myself a very worldly person. It's all about awareness. And my hope is more people would take advantage."
Petrone said students can do their part to get the act passed through the House by writing to their representatives and telling them how important it is.
"We currently have over 100 co-sponsors in the House, which is great," Petrone said.
She also said the act is something both Republicans and Democrats both agree on.
Co-authors were Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Rep. Jim Ramstand, R-Minn., Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Tennessee has nine representatives in the House of Representatives. To let them know how you feel about the act, visit http://www.house.gov for the contact information.
