Student activists push for contraceptives vending machine after Planned Parenthood closures

Two Utah-based Planned Parenthood’s in Logan and St. George have closed their doors after the Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $3 million in funding, according to the abortion giant. 

In light of the recent change, students at Utah State University (USU) are working to expand student access to “reproductive health services, as noted by UPR. The Students United for Reproductive Freedom (SURF) are seeking to address the situation by bringing a contraception vending machine to USU’s campus. 

[RELATED: UMass receives $80k state grant to boost ‘abortion access’]

Though it would be a long-term project, the president of SURF at USU, Eloise Hales, feels that the prospect is promising.

Hales told UPR: “We’re optimistic that it’s going to work out, because our data shows that [the] majority of people are in support of it, and there’s a need for it on our campus.”

Hales explained that Utah State is not the first in the nation to do this. She stated that other schools have had success with contraception vending machines.

By July 2023, at least 39 colleges and universities in 17 different states had installed contraception vending machines on their campuses, many as a response to pro-life legislation, according to USA Today.

Today, there are as many as 126 campuses across the country that offer emergency contraception via vending machines, Livingston County News reports.

[RELATED: Northwestern student group offers free ‘Plan B Hotline’ to advance ‘healthy sexuality’]

In 2023, Washington was reportedly the first state to contribute state funding toward a public university contraception vending machine. Like the advocacy of Students United for Reproductive Freedom at Utah State, the vending machine at Washington State was installed as a result of a student-led campaign. 

Campus Reform has reached out to SURF for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.