Letters to the editor, 3/10
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Opinion
Cost of birth control major concern
As college students, our budgets are extremely limited, but the cost of birth control wasn't anything we ever had to worry about.
The UNL Health Center provided birth control - like most university health centers - for a highly reduced rate. This year, however, the price jumped 200-500 percent. Most birth control pills went from $10 a month to $20, NuvaRing went from $12.50 to $42 and Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo went from $8 to a whopping $40 a month!
That means I, and students like me, will have to make tough choices about how, or whether, we can afford contraception. It shouldn't have to be this way. Last year, Congress inadvertently changed a rule and made it harder for universities and some safety net family planning providers to provide their patients with affordable birth control.
This is a simple problem for Congress to fix - it will cost the government nothing and can be done immediately. I urge Sen. Hagel to co-sponsor the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act that will provide a no-cost fix to the affordable birth control crisis. I also urge Congress to take immediate action and vote on the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act as soon as possible.
This past week, Students for Choice was able to collect about 150 postcards that will be sent to our representatives asking them to step up and take action. This indicates a serious interest in this issue from UNL students, both male and female. Congress should be making it easier, not harder, for women to have access to affordable contraception.
Maria Moreno
Treasurer, UNL Students for Choice
As college students, our budgets are extremely limited, but the cost of birth control wasn't anything we ever had to worry about.
The UNL Health Center provided birth control - like most university health centers - for a highly reduced rate. This year, however, the price jumped 200-500 percent. Most birth control pills went from $10 a month to $20, NuvaRing went from $12.50 to $42 and Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo went from $8 to a whopping $40 a month!
That means I, and students like me, will have to make tough choices about how, or whether, we can afford contraception. It shouldn't have to be this way. Last year, Congress inadvertently changed a rule and made it harder for universities and some safety net family planning providers to provide their patients with affordable birth control.
This is a simple problem for Congress to fix - it will cost the government nothing and can be done immediately. I urge Sen. Hagel to co-sponsor the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act that will provide a no-cost fix to the affordable birth control crisis. I also urge Congress to take immediate action and vote on the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act as soon as possible.
This past week, Students for Choice was able to collect about 150 postcards that will be sent to our representatives asking them to step up and take action. This indicates a serious interest in this issue from UNL students, both male and female. Congress should be making it easier, not harder, for women to have access to affordable contraception.
Maria Moreno
Treasurer, UNL Students for Choice
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