JACKIE MARQUEZ / OPINION EDITOR

Condoms are practically everywhere  at  public universities. From bathrooms to bookstores, doorsteps to information desks, you can find protection almost anywhere. This isn’t the case here at USD, nor is it at the majority of Catholic universities in the U.S. Despite our school’s progressive, changemaking attitude, contraceptives are nowhere to be found on our campus. 

 Currently,  the   Student Health Center (SHC) does not provide non-hormonal contraceptives, such as condoms or dental dams. Additionally, the SHC will not prescribe hormonal birth control such as “the pill,” IUDs or implants unless there is a medical reason for it. 

In the words of Kimberely Woodruff, USD’s Director of the Student Health Center, “We can prescribe hormonal contraceptives if medically indicated, but not directly for contraception.”

So, if you have hormonal acne, irregular or heavy periods or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you may be able to get contraceptives through the SHC. If you need them to decrease the risk of pregnancy, you’ll have to get what you need elsewhere. This could be at an off-campus clinic like Planned Parenthood or at an off-campus pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens.

Additionally, individuals and student organizations are not allowed to distribute contraceptives on campus. According to the university, external groups, student groups and individual students are expected to follow the school’s practice of not distributing contraceptives on campus. This has prompted clubs like Students for Sexual and Reproductive Justice to hand out contraceptives directly outside USD’s main entrance, for fear of suspension or expulsion. 

Michael Lovette-Colyer, USD’s Vice President of Mission integration, explained that these policies around contraceptives are shaped by the university’s Catholic mission. 

“As a Catholic university, our approach, like other Catholic universities across the country, is for all of our policies and practices and protocols to respect the teachings of the Catholic church,” Lovette-Colyer said. 

Due to this, USD’s approach to contraceptives closely aligns with the Catholic church’s teachings on contraception, which stems from its teaching on sexuality. According to Lovette-Colyer, “what the church is most passionate about and concerned about is human flourishing. How to help people be fully alive and who they are.” This leads the Catholic  church  to  view sex as a gift from God that’s only for married couples intending to procreate. 

However, most college students, even students here at a Catholic school like USD, don’t share that understanding. This year, only 44% of our first-year students identified as Catholic, meaning the majority of new students don’t align themselves with the university’s faith traditions.  This difference in beliefs is something Lovette-Colyer recognizes himself. 

“We realize that the Church’s teachings and values about the human person, about sexuality, about contraception may not be shared by everyone,” Lovette-Colyer said.  “[However] this is a strongly held belief in the church, and we ask that people respect that.” 

While I disagree with the university’s approach to contraceptive access on campus, my goal is not to disrespect the Church or the university’s religious  beliefs; it’d be ridiculous for me to try and change the teachings of one of the largest religions in the world with a single opinion article. Instead, my goal is to point out the shortcomings of USD’s policies and suggest alternative ways of applying our Catholic values. 

So, let’s talk about the issues with our current policy. First, the policy fails to address the reality of college students. 

To put it plainly, USD students are having sex. According to the Cardinal Newman Society, a center dedicated to studying Catholic higher education, 46% of surveyed Catholic university students have had premarital sex. On top of that, 84% of those students reported having friends who’ve engaged in premarital sex. While these numbers maybe be a little different than those of USD, it’s likely that our student body’s rate of premarital sex is similar. 

Alongside these high premarital sex rates at Catholic universities, a surprising amount of sexually active students across the country don’t use contraceptives. According to a 2022 study done by the American College Health Association, 20% of sexually active students use the withdrawal method as their primary form of birth control. 

Unsurprisingly, this method isn’t as effective as using physical or hormonal contraceptives, and it can lead to a host of negative implications. First, it does nothing to prevent STDs, which, in our day and age, is hugely problematic. 

According to the CDC, half of the U.S.’s new STI cases in 2020 were among 15-24 year olds (that’s around ten million). Second, the withdrawal method also leads to unintended pregnancies; one in five who use it get pregnant. Third, it can lead to women seeking abortions. According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, nearly half of all unintended pregnancies end in abortion. Luckily, these outcomes can be avoided — or at least decreased. Researchers at Washington University found that providing free birth control to women reduces unplanned pregnancies and decreases abortion rates by 62-78% when compared to the national average. 

It’s not that the school is unaware of these facts. According to Lovette-Colyer, it’s a common misconception that the Catholic university is ignorant or not paying attention to the reality of its students. 

“We do pay attention, we are well aware of the percentage of students who do engage in sexual behavior and of STI rates,” Lovette-Colyer said. “We come up with a different answer than ‘the best solution to that is to provide contraception,’ because they’re available in lots of other places.

So, college students, even Catholic ones, are having sex, and an unreasonably large number of them aren’t using contraception, leading to high STI and pregnancy rates, but the university is aware of this. They simply choose to refer their students to find care at a different pharmacy or clinic off-campus. 

This approach fails to acknowledge the grim realities of campus sexuality, and then does little to actively change them. Instead, it gives students additional  hoops  to jump through, to get the services they need. 

The reason Toreros go to the SHC for healthcare is because it’s accessible. You can make an appointment a day or two in advance, conveniently schedule it during a break between classes, receive the care you need and then grab a little treat from Aromas right after. Referring students to a clinic or pharmacy off campus defeats the whole purpose of having accessible healthcare close by. Not only does it take longer to be seen and receive treatment, but it also forces students to find their own transportation. 

A significant amount of USD students are car-less. First-years aren’t allowed to have a car on campus until  sophomore year, and many international and out-of-state students are unable to bring a car with them. As such, USD’s policy forces students to call a Lyft/Uber, or brave the public transportation system in order to get the care they need. When you’re a college student with very limited funds, almost no time to spare and no way to get around, the school’s practice of off-campus referrals places an unnecessary burden on you, the student. 

This burden doesn’t affect every student equally. Studies have shown that a lack of access to contraception disproportionately affects women, queer people, people of color  and  people with disabilities. By no fault of their own, people from marginalized groups often lack the resources needed to access contraceptives such as transportation, time, money and a quality sex education. By placing a roadblock to healthcare that not all students can overcome, our current policy around contraceptives directly contradicts other Catholic traditions like working toward justice and equity for all.

Our policy also fails to work toward the Church’s pro-life values as effectively as possible. It’s a proven fact that unintended pregnancies often lead to abortions, and that increasing access to contraceptives decreases unintended pregnancy rates. So, by increasing access to contraceptives on campus, the university could help mitigate unintended pregnancies and consequently abortions. While I’m not saying that the Church should or shouldn’t support abortions, I am pointing out that the school’s practice of denying contraceptives on campus seems to work against the Church’s pro-life values by failing to take meaningful action against unintended pregnancy.

At a Catholic school, it may seem like the distribution of contraceptives counters the very mission that guides us. However, our Catholic mission is as complex as our student body, and because of this our current policy recognizes some of the Catholic church’s values while overlooking others. As such, I believe that allowing the provision of contraceptives on-campus should enable human flourishing in a different sense. 

Doing so could decrease STI and pregnancy rates and also remove a structural barrier that prevents marginalized students from receiving the care they need. By allowing the SHC and student organizations  to provide this form of preventative treatment, the university could ensure that they truly support the best interest of students and their wellbeing. 

There are a variety of contraceptive options for students, but USD doesn’t allow them to be distributed on campus. Photo courtesy of @rhsupplies/Unsplash