New York Congressman Joseph Crowley and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn were among the speakers at a student rally to make birth control more affordable for students in Washington Square Park yesterday.
The rally, which attracted about 30 people, was staged in response to increases of birth control prices on college campuses. The prices have risen from $5-$10 a month to $40-$50 a month.
Other speakers at the rally included Joan Malin, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of NYC and Meena Shah of NYU Voices for Choice.
Students from Planned Parenthood of NYC, NYU Voices for Choice and NYU Law Students for Reproductive Justice chanted slogans like "Birth control shouldn't break the bank, who in congress do we thank?" and "What do we want? Birth control! How do we want it? Cheap!"
Sarah Betz, a freshman in the Silver School of Social Work and a NOW NYU member, said all students should be able to get affordable birth control.
"Any woman, low-income or a college student, should be able to afford birth control and protection. If condoms cost so much less, why can't the pill?" Betz said.
Crowley said the rise in birth control costs is the result of the Deficit Reduction Act, passed in 2005, which kept student health centers from receiving the same discounts on medication that other clinics get. To address this, Crowley introduced a bill earlier this month called the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which would restore this discount on birth control for college clinics and other providers. The act will help pharmaceutical companies sell birth control to college clinics and safety net care providers at a discounted rate, and will not cost taxpayers any money.
"This is an issue about women's health and common sense. Failing to act will continue to cause a rise in the cost of birth control. It has an impact on lives," Crowley said. "Together we are going to make this mistake go away."
Olivia Smith is a contributing writer. E-mail her at news@nyunews.com.
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