Some University Of The Sciences Students Outraged After Learning Birth Control Will Be No Longer Offered At Campus Health Center
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some students at Philadelphia's University of the Sciences are expressing frustration over an announcement that the school's health center will no longer dispense birth control. Students say they were blindsided and upset that a critical service is being pulled from the health center.
"Outrage, it was outrage. It was also just completely and utterly disheartening," sophomore Hannah Pulliam said.
Pulliam is one of many University of the Sciences students who are upset after learning birth control will no longer be offered at their campus health center.
"How are we expected to be healthcare professionals if we can't even get the health care ourselves?" she said.
Pulliam says students found out through an email after the university announced they will be merging with Saint Joseph's University. She says they were told pregnancy prevention doesn't align with St Joe's religious values.
She also received a second email stating they will receive services up to June 1.
"There was no student consensus, there was no asking students what they needed or how the transition would be made easier on them, nothing," Pulliam said.
Eyewitness News reached out to Saint Joseph's University. In a statement, the school says, "Saint Joseph's Student Health Centers operate as a supplement to, and not a replacement for, a student's relationship with their healthcare provider. Family planning, birth control and prescriptions are personal and private conversations between the student and their provider."
Pulliam says students were already upset at the merger before this announcement.
"Imagine being like a freshman in college and you sign on like I am going to one of the best health care schools in the country and now all of a sudden you are telling me it's not going to exist anymore," she said.
Pulliam says many of her fellow students can't afford doctor's visits and relied solely on the student health center.
"Our student government is having town halls almost constantly. They're making sure our voices are heard but it's whether it's getting to the ears that need to hear it," she said.
The University of the Sciences says it places primary importance on the well-being of its students and commits to a smooth transition. It assures any student impacted by changes that might occur will be supported and guided to resources to meet their needs.