Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Affordable Birth Control Act, which once again makes birth control affordable in college clinics and community health centers.
Many college students saw the prices of contraceptives jump from a few dollars prior to 2005 to $30-$50 in the last two years. This was the result of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 which affected the rebates that pharmaceutical companies could offer states. As a result, once stock ran out on colleges campuses they were forced to raise prices for students purchasing birth control.
Says Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:
Armed with better access to basic reproductive care, women can make more informed choices about when to become parents. In these tough economic times, improving access to reproductive health care is especially important to women and their families.
The act, which will once again ensure access to affordable birth control for women on college campuses and in community clinics, was passed as a result of the $410 billion Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
Contributed by Angela Donadic, Policy and Advocacy Fellow
