Back in June, the United States Supreme Court decided in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which effectively held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. This decision put the health and the basic human rights of women in the United States at risk. Almost immediately, states and legislatures began debating and passing laws severely restricting or banning abortion completely. In 13 states, this includes cases of rape, incest, and maternal mortality.
In Congress, Republican Senators have announced if they win in the midterms, they will introduce and work to pass a federal abortion ban, overturning the attempts of protecting abortion on a federal level by Democrats and by the Biden Administration. If passed, the loss of access to abortion would be a dark future for American women. In addition to Dobbs affecting abortion access, many healthcare professionals and reproductive rights activists fear that birth control might be next.
When reading the Dobbs decision there is a concerning line of argument made by one of the majority Justices. Justice Clarence Thomas reasons within his portion of the decision that the court “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell”. The liberal wing of the court’s dissent warned that this line of argument is not unique to Thomas and that the conservative majority was on the path to completely take down other 14th-protected rights, saying “no one should be confident that this majority is done with its work”. We’ll focus on Griswold, in which the court protected women’s right to access birth control and contraception.
In the news, state and local politicians around the US have introduced legislation and openly advocated for the total ban on birth control. States like Missouri, Louisiana, and Ohio have state legislators who are actively working to ban IUDs, contraceptive implants, and the pill. These bans are extremely determinantal to young women, particularly teenage and young adult women. The University of Idaho issued guidance that it could stop offering birth control earlier this month in accordance with state laws from pre-Roe Idaho. The guidance urges staff and faculty to not provide birth control and limits conversation to policy in classrooms only.
This could be the beginning of a worrying trend at colleges and universities across the country, that would eventually lead to a concerning future for women. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research states, “Access to the contraceptive pill allows women to delay childbirth and increase their human capital investment in education and their careers. Studies showed that contraceptive access increased women’s college enrollment by an estimated 12 to 20 percent and was responsible for 15 percent of the increases in women’s labor force participation that occurred from 1970 to 1990.” It is crucial that contraception and birth control remain actively discussed and accessible on campuses.
Her Campus Suffolk reached out to Suffolk’s Counseling Health and Wellness Office to discuss birth control on our campus further.
Suffolk University’s Counseling Health and Wellness Center, located on the fifth floor of the Rosalie Stahl Building, provides students with an array of contraceptive options and healthcare information. HC Suffolk contributor Emmalyn Maher spoke to one of her co-workers, Kat, in the Wellness Resource Center to gather further information on what the center is doing to help those who wish to access birth control, condoms, etc.
We first asked Kat a little bit about her role in the Counseling, Health, and Wellness department. She explained that she is a graduate fellow working with our boss, Laura Golitko, to organize on-campus events, improve student health and provide awareness of the resources. Her main goal is to clarify students’ questions and provide help to different areas of the office.
We then asked about what the department is doing to provide access to birth control (and other forms of contraceptives) for female-identifying people on campus. She emphasized the Wellness Resource Center’s Condom Corner, where students can access free condoms whenever they need them. The department also constantly offers various pamphlets and brochures on sexual health as well as providing presentations by our SUPERS. Additionally, the medical side of the office provides STI testing and free Plan B.
Our next question was in relation to the new SCOTUS term: Emmalyn asked if the department had a plan moving forward if there were new restrictions placed on birth control. At this point in the interview, another woman working in the office, Tracey Allen, chimed in with even more information. She informed us that Suffolk is currently providing free birth control for all female-identifying persons, and they are looking into providing out-of-state folks with the resources as winter break approaches. She further emphasized that the person’s home state does not matter, the Suffolk University Heath Plan is available to all students.
The Wellness Resource Center is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00-4:00pm as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am-4:00pm on the fifth floor of the Rosalie Stahl building (73 Tremont) for anyone interested in dropping in! There is free use of massage chairs, endless tea, and a relaxing atmosphere for people to come and hang out.
For those interested in scheduling a medical appointment, the Suffolk University webpage for the department has a link called the Suffolk Health Portal, where students can make an appointment online. For medical emergencies or if you need to speak to someone immediately without an appointment, CHW prefers you call the phone number (617)-573-8226 to talk directly to the office. The department leaves several slots open throughout the day for emergency appointments.