Cornell students unanimously pass resolution supporting Plan B vending machine
Cornell University’s Student Assembly unanimously passed a resolution supporting a vending machine that would distribute Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, on campus.
Student Assembly members passed the resolution after a Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter, one of the resolution's sponsors, gauged students’ interest with a survey.
Cornell University’s Student Assembly recently passed a resolution to support a vending machine that distributes Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, on campus.
The resolution, “Dependable and Inclusive Supply of Pharmaceutical and Essential Non-Prescription Supplies,” passed on Feb. 9. The Cornell Daily Sun reported that Student Assembly members voted with “unanimous consent” to pass the resolution after a Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) chapter gauged students’ interest with a survey.
PPGA, a sponsor of the resolution, found that 86.8% of the over 700 survey respondents “answer[ed] that they ‘strongly agree’ that they will need to access emergency contraceptives in the future,” according to the resolution.
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The survey also asked students where they would like to see emergency contraception distributed on campus and what they “consider a fair price for one dose of emergency contraception.”
Prior to the vote, PPGA shared an Instagram post advertising the Assembly meeting and told students, “COME SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!”
Cornell could join other Ivy League universities in offering emergency contraception vending machines. Dartmouth College has a vending machine in a health services building that distributes Plan B to students 24/7, whereas Columbia University students can access the Plan B vending machines in two residence halls.
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Boston University (BU), where students can buy emergency contraception for less than one-fifth of the typical retail price, served as an example for the Cornell Student Assembly. Members of the George Washington University (GWU) Student Association, Campus Reform reported, similarly took inspiration from BU before they helped bring a vending machine to campus.
One GWU student described the emergency contraception vending machine as a way to “get Doritos and Plan B at the same time.”
Campus Reform contacted all relevant parties listed for comment and will update this article accordingly.
