By T’Neil Gooden
With the beginning of the school semester, Brooklyn College’s Women’s Center opens with new and familiar resources to provide to students daily. In an extension of the resources the Center provides, Plan B will now be offered to any student in need of an emergency contraceptive.
Plan B acts before ovulation takes place delaying the process, according to Healthline. During ovulation, the egg is released, and Plan B stops the egg from releasing, meaning that this product should be taken as soon as possible after having sexual intercourse. Plan B is taken as a pill, and while the pill is fast-acting, there are still potential side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
The resource was added to the Women’s Center through the new project coordinator, Amber Prophete, in coordination with the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, which provides colleges with resources for students and campuses that need them.
Over 39 colleges have installed Plan B vending machines within their school campuses since 2023 with prices of $12.60 and up. However, with the help of the Women’s Center, BC students get the resource free of charge.
“The Women’s Center wanted to give the students an opportunity to be able to obtain Planned Parenthood for free because we know that the health center does provide the resource for ten dollars. However, we wanted to find another alternative for [students], and this was that alternative,” Prophete told The Vanguard.
Reproductive rights have been a recent topic of discussion in the current political climate, with division over funding reproductive health centers such as Planned Parenthood. Some argue that in the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment that provides equal rights regardless of the sex of an individual, has been interpreted to mean accessibility to centers such as Planned Parenthood.
“We are going into our election season, and [students] know that a lot of reproductive health and our issues of that sort are on the line, not just in New York, but across the fifty states,” Prophete told The Vanguard. “Being able to have Plan B available right now is really great for our students, as it helps bring awareness to the Equal Rights Movement that will be on our ballots in November.”
When receiving the Plan B package, students will have to sign a form allowing the item to be given out. The form asks students if they would need any additional help or follow-ups after they have received the resources. Students will also be given a separate form that lists facts about Plan B and how to use it. Students who sign up for Plan B will retain their anonymity and will receive one box.
“Having Plan B in BC lifts a burden for students, especially full-time college students. We are always consumed with work and the reality is that we do participate in other activities,” Louna Lafond, a senior at Brooklyn College, told The Vanguard. “To have an educational space that has Plan B makes me feel safe and supported so [students] can find out and learn more [about Plan B].”
Students can also use the Center to learn more about Planned Parenthood, mental health benefits, and contraceptive options as a student. To leaders of the Center, this is especially important for students who already face many struggles as they go about their college lives.
“Plan B is a resource, many of our audience are students just like us, we live in New York and we struggle with life and financial choices,” Rabia Khalid, project coordinator of the Muslim Women’s Leadership Development Project (MWLDP) at the Women’s Center, told The Vanguard. “The Women’s Center is a place where students feel safe to speak with us, and their business stays with us.”
The Women’s Center is filled with free samples for students to pick up in addition to Plan B. Students have access to menstrual products, deodorant, pimple patches, pregnancy tests, snacks, and men’s and female contraceptives.
For more information on the resources the Center provides, visit their website https://www.brooklyn.edu/womens-center/ or follow their Instagram @womenscenterbc