EC Access at Student Health Centers
Report Highlights Inadequate Access to Emergency Contraception at Small, Private Colleges and Universities in North Carolina
Student Health Centers Are Focus in North Carolina for National Day of Activism to Promote Awareness of Emergency Contraception
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Raleigh, NC - A new report released today by the NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina Foundation shows that student health centers at public universities in North Carolina are more likely to provide emergency contraception (EC), often referred to as the ‘morning-after pill’, on-site than smaller, private colleges and universities.
Almost half of the universities and colleges surveyed send students to other providers to get a prescription for EC. One school reported that they do not offer referrals for EC because the only place to obtain emergency contraception in the entire county is at the hospital and then only for rape survivors.
“Student health centers are often the first place young women turn for birth control. These centers should provide emergency contraception on-site for their students, thereby preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing the need for abortion.” said Melissa Reed, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. “This study shows that we still have much progress to make in North Carolina. We are working to increase awareness of this safe, effective way to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.”
• Larger NC schools are more likely to offer EC.
• Twelve of the 18 schools that provide EC are public, 18 of the 21 that do not are private.
• Religiously affiliated schools are less likely to provide EC on-site. Many provide referrals, but out of the 21 schools that are religiously affiliated, only one provides EC on-site.
• Among the student health centers that do not provide EC, 83% percent of the schools provide referrals.
On Tuesday March 21, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina will participate in “Back Up Your Birth Control Day”. This event will raise awareness among student health centers on this important and underutilized contraceptive option and to ensure that providers, pharmacists, and lawmakers make EC easily accessible to women who are survivors of sexual assault, or need a second chance.
Throughout the month of March, students at Appalachian State, Duke, East Carolina University, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte and UNC- Wilmington are raising awareness on EC through tabling, leafleting, and outreach on their campuses.
Emergency contraception (EC), often referred to as the “morning-after pill,” is a concentrated dose of ordinary birth control pills, which reduces a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant by up to 89 percent when taken within 72 hours of sex. EC prevents pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation, fertilization, or implantation before a pregnancy occurs, and does not work if a woman is already pregnant. It may be used when other birth control methods fail or are not used, including when women are sexually assaulted. It can dramatically reduce unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion.
For more information, contact Amy Woodell, Statewide Organizer, at (919) 829-9779 or awoodell@prochoicenorthcarolina.org.
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