University installs morning after pill vending machine

Claims that a vending machine offering people the morning after pill has been installed in an American university are under investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Apparently the vending machine at the health center of the Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania has been filled with the Plan B One-Step contraceptive.

For $25, any one of the university’s 8,700 students can buy one of the morning after pills instantly without having to speak to a medical professional before doing so.

Also present in the controversial vending machine are condoms and pregnancy tests, along with other pharmaceutical and medicinal products such as decongestants.  

To read the latest edition of Healthcare Global, click here

• Window seats on long haul flights increase risk of DVT
• Woman receives 3D printed jaw in pioneering transplant
• Almost $800m donated to fight ignored tropical diseases

According to reports the vending machine has been a feature at Shippensburg University’s health center for almost two years, but it has only recently been discovered by healthcare officials.

Its presence has also attracted criticism from pro-life campaigners, who say the machine raises questions about the religious and ethical implications of offering pregnancy-ending contraceptives so freely.

However, the university is adamant the vending machine was only installed after a vote found the idea of it was supported by 85 percent of its students.

Discussing the morning after pill vending machine on local radio station WHP, Dr Roger Serr, the Student Affairs Vice President, said: “We had some conversations with them and they did a survey of the student body, and we got an 85 percent response rate that the students supported Plan B in the House Center.”

To defend the move further, Peter Gigliotti, a college spokesperson, said in a statement to the Associated Press: “The machine is in a private room in our health center, and the health center is only accessible by students.

 “In addition, no one can walk in off the street and go into the health center. Students proceed to a check-in desk located in the lobby and after checking in are granted access to the treatment area.”

Meanwhile, junior student Chelsea Wehking, told local newspaper the Laramie Boomerang:“I think it's great that the school is giving us this option.

“I've heard some kids say they'd be too embarrassed and buy Plan B,” she said. 

The Healthcare Global magazine is now available on the iPad. Click here to download it.