Blue State University Rolls Out Birth Control Vending Machines

The University of Connecticut (UConn) has placed a vending machine containing the emergency contraceptive Plan B on campus as part of a larger effort to increase access to birth control for students.

Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed a series of laws in 2023 that required universities within the state to create a plan to address “students’ need for reproductive healthcare” and allow pharmacists to begin prescribing hormonal birth control without a doctor’s visit. With the governor’s approval, UConn’s School of Pharmacy created a training program for that very purpose in late January and announced that the legislation also allowed for the placement of the vending machines, according to UConn Today.

“Allowing pharmacists to both prescribe and dispense hormonal birth control could help mitigate barriers and expand access to contraception for the citizens of our state,” Philip Hritcko, UConn School of Pharmacy dean, said of the announcement, according to UConn Today.

The governor said the legislation is meant to address a shortage of healthcare professionals providing birth control related services in the state, according to UConn Today.

“This is just one of the many ways we’re working to expand access to contraception and other important medications in Connecticut,” Lament said at the time, UConn Today reported.

“Through UConn Student Health and Wellness, students have access to counseling and guidance on the use of both prescription and over the counter medications of all varieties,” Mike Enright, a UConn spokesman, told the Daily Caller News Foundation