Daily Skiff

Contraceptives offered by the Health Center are now available to students at a reduced price, thanks to the persistence and hard work of staff members there.

For the past two years, the Health Center negotiated contracts with drug companies to offer contraceptives at reasonable prices.

The battle began in 2005 when a provision in the Federal Deficit Reduction Act cut college health centers from the list of organizations that receive discounts on birth control. As a result, the price of contraceptives such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch at campus health centers increased significantly.

Students are now able to choose from a variety of discounted contraceptives at TCU.

For instance, generic oral contraceptives will be offered at $25 for a month's supply, rather than $40.

The contract between the Health Center and pharmaceutical companies like Warner Chilcott allows more students to pay for contraceptives out-of-pocket without using their parents' health insurance and avoiding any uncomfortable conversations that the topic might bring.

In addition, the agreement gives students the ability to purchase birth control regardless of their financial situations.

The new contract also makes it easier for students to take a serious step in becoming more independent. College is about learning to be a responsible individual, and managing one's health is just another aspect of being a responsible adult.

Students appreciate the dedication of the Health Center in fighting for the benefit of the university's community. An unintended pregnancy can end someone's college career before it begins or change a life in a way that does not always lead to a happy ending.

Multimedia editor Jason Fochtman for the editorial board.

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