Alexandra Lozano
Staff Writer

Many students nationwide celebrated “Back Up Your Birth Control” day on March 21, but many students at the University of La Verne were unaware of the event.

“Back Up Your Birth Control” day is a day that supports education about Emergency Contraception (EC) on college campuses.

According to the Feminist Majority’s Web site, “Approximately 54 percent of College Health Centers do not provide EC or prescriptions for EC. In addition, many people who know about EC are unsure how or where to access it.”

“We didn’t know about this,” said Iota Delta President Nancy Reyes.
The sorority held its own “No Sex or Latex” campaign the previous week to promote safe sex or abstinence.

“I think our school in general and students should be more aware of services offered at our student health center,” Reyes said.

Some students are confused about the services offered at the health center, including the morning after pill.

“Does our school have the morning after pill? We definitely should,” said Jacqueline Loya, a freshman history major.

Students interested in obtaining the morning after pill will need to sign a form acknowledging that they have been informed of the effects of the morning after pill.

The must also take a urine pregnancy test and undergo a “mini-physical.”
However, the student health center want students to know that the morning after pill is only to be used as emergency contraception and not as a form of birth control.

Many students agreed.

“If you’re going to be sexually active, you should be on birth control in the first place so you don’t need the morning after pill,” said Krystle Barbosa, a freshman liberal studies major.

Freshman biology major Jessica Bercaw agrees.

“There are so many free clinics,” Bercaw said.

Barbosa acknowledges that birth control is a personal topic but the information needs to be known.

“It prevents worry, pregnancy and pre-marital pregnancy,” Barbosa said.

Daisha Leon is one of many students who hasn’t heard of the “Back Up Your Birth Control” day, but agrees that a program like this on campus wouldn’t hurt.

“You’re in college, people have sex,” Loya said.

Reyes knows women who have taken the morning after pill.

“I do think it would be a good idea to have the morning after pill at our school so students don’t have to go somewhere else to get it,” Reyes said.

Having the morning after pill available at school will provide “easier access so women do not have to risk it,” Reyes added.

Providing the morning after pill at the University will help those women who either don’t know where to get the pill or whether they can afford it.

“You don’t have enough money because it went to tuition,” Loya said.

Another concern about students and the morning after pill is that many do not know the side effects and process of the pill.

“Students should be educated at exactly what it is and what it does,” Reyes said. “A lot of girls think, ‘I’m taking it and I’m good.’”

The morning after pill a combination of Estrogen and Progestin. Students should take four tablets followed by another four tablets 12 hours later.

Some side effects of the morning after pill include nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness and blood clot formation.

California and five other states have passed pharmacy access law in order to provide women emergency contraception without a prescription.

Alexandra Lozano can be reached at himelozano@ juno.com.