The Student Committee at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, recently announced the installation of a “reproductive vending machine” on campus. The announcement credited Canteen for donating the vending machine. It will be installed at the Norris Underground and will allow students to use their student “Wildcards” to obtain free items from the machine, which is meant to “provide easy-access tools for drug safety, sexual wellbeing and reproductive health.” Students will be able to obtain the Plan B pill, which is used as emergency contraception, condoms, tampons, lubricants, and urine test strips. Apart from offering sexually-related products, the machine is also stocked with Narcan, which is used to reduce the side effects of an opioid overdose. The location at the Underground is supposed to offer a more “centralized” location. “Right now, if you want some type of reproductive resource, one of the only places on campus would be the Searle Center. That’s why we wanted to implement something in Norris,” said committee co-chair Aryan Kalluvila.

The inclusion of Plan B sparked criticism from Anna Kinskey of the pro-life campus advocacy group weDignify.“If the university is going to make these products available, it also has a responsibility to educate students truthfully about what they do and the lives that may be affected by them,” she said. “Life begins at the moment of sperm-egg fusion, before implantation. Plan B’s potential to end a developing human life is deeply concerning, especially if students aren’t aware that this is a possibility. Students should be fully informed that Plan B is not just a form of contraception, it can also end the life of a child.” Matt Yonke of Pro-Life Action League called the installation of the vending machine “lazy.” “Is that really a message we want to be sending? Stocking vending machines with Plan B instead of educating students on pregnancy prevention seems like lazy leadership on the part of the supposed adults in the room.”

Plan B’s status as an abortifacient has been controversial. In 2023, the Biden administration instructed the FDA to clarify that Plan B is not an abortifacient. While Plan B generally prevents fertilization from ever occurring, meaning an embryo is never formed, there is the risk based on how soon after sex the pill is taken that an embryo could be aborted. Dr. Donna Harrison of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists warned of the possible “two-day window in which embryos can form but positive pregnancy tests don’t occur,” and that it “has a likely embryocidal effect in stopping pregnancy.” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, pushed back against the pill. “Plan B empowers abusers and minimizes the value of a new life that can be created through sex. And if you take the time to read the label, Plan B can also destroy young life. This isn’t new information, but a baby is not the problem,” she told Fox News Digital. “We’ll be working with our Students for Life group on campus to oppose this reckless and sad idea, which is something we so often have to do. Plan A is stay in school, get married, and have children. But if a child arrives, welcome him or her.”