Iowa students distribute free contraception amid state abortion ban

A group of University of Iowa students has responded to a fetal heartbeat abortion ban by promoting free “emergency contraception” on campus.

In a recent interview with NPR, some Iowa students discussed their efforts to increase access to such contraceptives, while saying that the university is not doing enough to provide for.

[RELATED: ‘Doritos and Plan B:’ new vending machine sells emergency contraception to students]

The students operate through the university’s Women’s Resource and Action Center, which NPR characterized as filled with “shelves of bags filled with emergency reproductive supplies.”

The center does not promote “emergency reproductive supplies” on its website, but it does promote a “Repro Health Kit” in recent posts to Instagram and Facebook.

“Looking for free reproductive health supplies on campus?” an Oct. 16 post asks. “Stop by the WRAC anytime M-F between the hours of 9-5 to grab a health kit containing emergency contraceptives, pregnancy tests, condoms, and lube!”

The Family Planning Council of Iowa, a nonprofit that uses federal funds to provide contraception, is responsible for the kits’ presence on Iowa’s campus, as noted by NPR.

“The purpose of the Family Planning Council of Iowa (FPCI) is to provide access to quality reproductive health care and family planning services to all people in Iowa, regardless of identity or ability to pay,” the group’s mission statement reads. “We provide this care through the delegation of Title X (ten) funds from the federal government, subcontracting with delegate agency clinics to provide family planning services to low-income individuals in local communities.”

The group also notes that it “provides services and programming available to nurses, students, and the public.

The University of Iowa’s Student Wellness provides some “safe sex supplies,” such as “external condoms,” “internal condoms,” and “dental dams.”

[RELATED: John Jay becomes first CUNY school to provide ‘emergency contraception’ vending machines]

Many students on college campuses use outside resources to provide free contraception. For instance, Planned Parenthood Generation Action has over 350 campus chapters to promote “reproductive freedom” and “[r]aise public awareness about reproductive health and rights.”

Some universities even use student fees for free contraception. 

The University of Michigan’s LSA Student Government regularly spends thousands of dollars worth of student fees toward initiatives like “free emergency contraception” and “free morning-after pills.”

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Iowa, the Women’s Resource and Action Center, and the Family Planning Council of Iowa for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.