Plan B. The morning after pill. Levonorgestrel. Emergency contraceptive. Whatever it’s called, it is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of unprotected sex. However, it can be inaccessible or out of budget for many.
East Lansing Free Emergency Contraceptives (ELFreeEC) is an organization led by student activists Mackenzie Lovell, Julia Walters, Harsna Chahal and Rylee Warner. Their goal is to make emergency contraception available for the MSU community by distributing free Plan B both on-campus and with volunteer meetups.
This began as an initiative to get vending machines on campus that would provide not only Plan B, but other products such as condoms, dental dams, and menstrual products. The group was introduced to the American Society for Emergency Contraceptives by their advisor and professor Pat Arnold. This organization allows ELFreeEC to apply for and receive practically as much Plan B as they want for a peer-to-peer distribution system, Lovell explained.
“When people think of reproductive justice, they think of abortion and abortion pills,” Lovell said. Plan B is an essential part of reproductive justice, as access to it provides a reliable way to prevent pregnancy. Access is an extremely important factor. Buying Plan B over the counter is expensive, running $35-$50 a pill, given that someone who needs it can even get to a pharmacy in time. It must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, but works better the sooner it is taken. The vending machine, which has already been implemented on other campuses around the country, would allow students access to free contraceptives around the clock.
The vending machine initiative ran into issues, from finding adequate funding to administration support. Distribution of free emergency contraceptives is now done in this peer-to-peer program where students can either go to one of three locations (Women*s Student Services, Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, or Center for Gender in Global Context) or fill out a form for a meetup when those offices aren’t open. The meetup form, available on ELFreeEC’s Instagram, doesn’t need the applicant to fill out their name, just the best way to contact them. As of November 12, the program has had over 50 meetups and over 200 distributed at third party locations.
Compared to other Big 10 schools, Lovell says MSU is not doing much for reproductive health. In the future, she hopes that the program will grow even after she graduates this year, and that the initiative for a vending machine will continue.
Currently, the initiative is run solely by these student activists. While providing contraceptives and advocating for reproductive justice has been a grassroots movement on campus, Lovell hopes one day MSU will take the initiative to provide these services for their students, as opposed to the community relying on the work of a few activists. “I don’t want to see so many burnt out activists anymore,” Lovell states.
“I don’t want to see so many burnt out activists anymore”
Mackenzie Lovell
If you are in need of an emergency contraceptive, there are three third party locations to receive it on campus. Women*s Student Services and the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, both located in the Student Services Building, and The Center for Gender in Global Context, located in the International Center all provide emergency contraceptives during open hours. If you are in need outside of these hours, look for the meetup form on ELFreeEC’s Instagram page or website. If you are interested in volunteering, check out their Instagram for the volunteer interest form.