In Chicago, DePaul University student Maya Roman has mastered a covert contraceptive delivery system, providing essential sexual health support to her peers. This initiative comes in response to the university's prohibition of any form of birth control distribution on its campus, a rule aligned with its Catholic affiliation.
The student group, originally part of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, has adapted its operations since DePaul revoked its student organization status in June. Now known as "the womb service," this underground network delivers paper bags filled with condoms and Plan B emergency contraception, fulfilling a critical need for reproductive health resources that DePaul’s official channels do not provide.
Many Catholic universities, like DePaul, restrict access to contraceptives following church teachings that discourage premarital sex and birth control. While student activists argue these restrictions hinder reproductive health for students of various faiths, the institutions maintain that they reserve the right to uphold their mission and values. Roman expressed her disappointment at the group's disbandment, recognizing the significant gap in available sexual health resources.
At the national level, recent trends reflect a growing push to limit contraception access, notably in several Republican-led states. Legislators have made efforts to restrict emergency contraception from state Medicaid programs and to impose parental consent requirements for minors seeking contraceptives. Under the Trump administration, funding for family planning clinics has been curtailed, and contraception guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was removed from government websites.
Contrastingly, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, recently enacted legislation mandating that public colleges provide contraception and abortion medication at on-campus pharmacies and health centers, though this requirement does not extend to private institutions like DePaul.
Jill Delston, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, emphasizes that this trend to restrict reproductive health options is not exclusive to Catholic campuses but may be more pronounced in those environments. Roman's personal journey into reproductive health activism was shaped by her mother’s career as a nurse, and she identified a pressing need for sexual health education among her peers at DePaul.
The group she leads manages a significant number of orders each week for contraceptive supplies, alongside educational seminars. Maddy Niziolek, a development specialist at Catholics for Choice, noted that students are proactively addressing these gaps, allowing their peers to maintain reproductive autonomy. Similar initiatives exist at other Catholic universities; for instance, Loyola University’s Students for Reproductive Justice reports delivering up to 20 orders in a single night and hosting events to distribute condoms off-campus.
The group at the University of Notre Dame, known as Irish 4 Reproductive Health, has been vocal against the university's refusal to provide birth control coverage, resorting to off-campus distribution as an alternative. Gabriella Shirtcliff, co-president of the group, underscores the importance of their work in reducing unplanned pregnancies that could lead to the need for abortions.
Experts like Delston warn about the profound implications that a lack of access to contraception can have on students' life choices, including their educational and career pursuits. In light of these challenges, the American Society for Emergency Contraception has initiated efforts to support student activists in expanding access to reproductive health resources, helping install vending machines that provide emergency contraception at various campuses.
Students at DePaul, reborn as Students United for Reproductive Justice, intend to continue their contraceptive distribution efforts, highlighting the trend of student-led advocacy in the face of institutional restrictions on reproductive health resources. Roman encourages others at Catholic universities to join the movement for equitable access to reproductive health, reinforcing the message that progress is achievable despite obstacles.
