An anonymous employee at Conestoga Wood Specialties Corporation, a company that supported Hobby Lobby during the hearing, said the verdict in the case was unsettling.
“I should have the right to choose what to do with my body,” she said. “The company I work for’s values shouldn’t become my own.”
First approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1960, the birth control pill quickly became a popular form of contraception among women, according to the Planned Parenthood website.
The 2006-10 National Survey of Family Growth, conducted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, found that of the 62 percent of women aged 15 to 44 years who use contraception, approximate 17 percent use the pill.
Fifty-three percent of women who use contraception aged 15 to 19 use the pill, according to the study. The use of the pill decreases with age, with many older women opting to undergo a hysterectomy, an operation to remove the uterus.
The CDC reported in May that the U.S. birth rate for both teens and young adults has reached a historic low-point, declining 10 percent to 26.6 births per 1,000 women.
“Sex education works, and ensuring that young people have access to birth control works,” Leslie Kantor, vice president of education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America said in a press release. “When young people have accurate information and resources, they make healthy decisions.”
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, University doctors and pharmacists at the IU Health Center still strive to make birth control and other contraceptives available and affordable for students.
“Birth control is a commonly prescribed medication, so we don’t know the exact number of students using it,” Health Center Medical Director Dr. Diana Ebling said. “It is a popular choice for contraception, but some students choose other methods.”
Mary Lou Nierzwicki, nurse practitioner in the Health Center’s Women’s Clinic, said she has noticed more students choosing long term contraceptive methods, such as intrauterine devices or Nexplanon, a birth control implant that prevents pregnancy for three years, according to the website.
“Even though these methods are more expensive, they’re covered by the Affordable Health Care Act, so women are willing to make the switch from birth control,” she said.
Ebling said for students that do choose the pill, the Health Center offers many different brands and types. She said most students get the generic brands, because they are less expensive, but approximately 80 percent of IU students have insurance that covers the cost of the pills.
“The Health Center doesn’t only provide one brand of pill,” Nierzwicki said. “Patients often prefer some brands over others, and it is important for us to find the right pill for each student.”
Ebling said the generic pills cost approximately $20 for a 30-day supply, while the brand-name pills price starts at $60 for the same amount. She said the charges are based on the price the Health Center gets on the medication from the vendors.
“We strive to always try to get the best possible price for the pills,” Ebling said. “We only raise the price when our cost goes up from the vendor, which fortunately has not happened for the lowest cost birth control pill in more than two years.”
Ebling said she has worked at the Health Center since 1988 and has not seen any increases or decreases in demand for birth control during that time. Additionally, Ebling said she has never received any complaints about the fact the Health Center provides birth control.
“Given the health care facility and the age group we take care of, typically people feel it is right to choose what fits their own morals,” she said.
