Should Students be Allowed a Voice About Contraceptives On Campus?

Image Courtesy of Sisters of the Order Saint Benedict

By Marta Bystrowska

This is an independently submitted op-ed for our Quill section. Views and statements made in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Tower.

In light of recent events, an organization not affiliated with the school had attempted to disperse free contraceptives in the form of condoms on campus. However, these condoms were seized by the school after complaints were given. 

This begs a couple of questions for the student body, what is the importance of access to contraceptives? How does one feel about not even having it in the first place? 

The school goes along with Catholic faith ideals which preaches abstinence, but is it possible, realistic, or safe to assume in 2024 that the student body is 100% abstinent? 

A 2023 study found that university students in America, 18 years or older, found that 45.5% were in a committed sexual relationship, 18.2% were in a casual sexual relationship, and 4.5% were in a sexual relationship with more than one partner. Only about 30.8% had no current sexual relationship. 

Another study in 2019 found that over two-thirds of community college students between the ages of 18-19 reported sexual experience during college. 

As CUA is a Catholic institution, the above data might be lowered or skewed; however, it is dangerous to assume that the whole student body is participating in abstinence. 

So how can CUA serve the entire student body? Even if it is a minority of the student body, to what degree is a college supposed to serve all students? 

What happens to the safety of the sexually active students? On average, the contraceptive of choice for college students is condoms. The highest percentage of college students, around 50%, use condoms as their contraceptives since they are safe and inexpensive. 

However, there are still barriers for students to obtain free condoms without judgment. 

The importance of condoms is for safety. 

According to the World Health Organization, “When used correctly and consistently, they are safe and highly effective in preventing transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and unplanned pregnancies.”

With the assumption that at least some of the student body is having sex at CUA, is access to basic sexual healthcare a right or a necessity through access to condoms? I would argue yes.

As obvious as the facts are about this to me, it feels like it is not my place to have this opinion, as the school does not provide a safe space to allow discourse. There are no avenues for me to bring this topic up under the institution or to express this opinion without worrying about recent events. This seems contradictory to an institution founded on classic education, which emphasizes philosophy and a diversity of thought.   

This situation highlights a bigger problem than just one incident: how should students display dissatisfaction with the school on taboo topics? 

If certain buzzwords cause students to become fearful of the school’s reaction, open conversations can’t ever exist, creating an environment where the students are silenced. 

And it also asks about the limit of the SGA senate power at school. If there are certain “unspoken rules” or what to bring up or not bring up, are students accurately being represented? Do the senators even listen, or worry more about getting in trouble with higher authority? 

For clubs dedicated to giving students a place to express their opinions, can they effectively listen to students if students don’t feel comfortable speaking up? 

The system in itself is broken if free conversations are not allowed.

Throughout the student body, institutional methods of raising concerns only work with the fear of being condemned or shut down. Is this a place where students can feel comfortable and seen? I believe so. But, it requires a space for these conversations to happen and a shift in culture for people to allow everyone to speak their mind. 

Through conversations and continual education, students can learn to foster productive discourses on campus. 

This goes beyond just contraceptive health, it also encompasses all difficult topics: abortion, sexual assault, drug use, and alcohol. 

Creating a safer campus and a safe space to bring up concerns on difficult topics would require a shift in campus culture. If that is impossible through school-sanctioned avenues, then it has to occur within the student body by not avoiding tough conversations, but confronting them.