Due to Fordham’s Jesuit affiliation, the university does not provide contraceptive products on campus — sparking criticism from some students.
Fordham’s sexual health policies follow the teachings of the Catholic Church. According to the 1997 Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, “The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception.”
According to Fordham’s Health Center Mission, “Fordham University is a Catholic and Jesuit University. As such, the physicians, nurse practitioners, and staff of the University Health Services abide by the guidelines of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.”
Other Jesuit Universities across the United States share similar contraceptive policies to Fordham’s. For Fairfield University, a private Jesuit school in Fairfield, Connecticut, their health services website states, “While we honor the freedom of our students to make decisions as free and responsible persons — and we recognize that persons of good will may choose otherwise — as a Catholic institution committed to the dignity of the human person we (Fairfield employees, students or club members, or organizations and events sponsored by the university) will not sell or offer any contraceptive devices or birth control.”
Gonzaga University, a private Jesuit institution in Spokane, Washington, does not explicitly provide information on its website about its contraceptive policies. Under the excluded services folder on their website, they have birth control devices or contraceptives used for the purpose of birth control written down.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraceptive mandate came into effect in 2012, requiring most private health insurance plans to cover FDA-approved contraceptive methods and related services without sharing expenses.
In 2020, Gonzaga graduate student Mattise Wood wrote an article in the Spokesman-Review about her disappointment in her university’s refusal to distribute birth control.
“The Catholic university I went to provided me my degrees, but when I needed birth control — something just as important for my future — I was on my own,” Wood wrote.
Wood found Gonzaga’s health center was not at all supportive when she needed the proper resources for contraceptives. As a first-year college student who was used to getting birth control from her provider at home, Wood thought that it would only be right for the University to provide it as well. When she went to the health center and asked the staff there about birth control, they passed it over and claimed “that’s really not our specialty.” But birth control was not the only thing they lacked information on.
“At my university, it went beyond birth control. The health center there wouldn’t provide prescription birth control, STI tests, or even condoms,” Wood wrote.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contraceptive mandate came into effect in 2012, requiring most private health insurance plans to cover FDA-approved contraceptive methods and related services without sharing expenses. The employees and health insurers are required to cover the contraceptive costs, but some universities’ policies have prevented students from benefiting from these aids.
“The Catholic university I went to provided me my degrees, but when I needed birth control — something just as important for my future — I was on my own.” Mattise Wood, Gonzaga graduate student
In November 2012, Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga, announced that the University would directly pay for contraceptive services. In 2013, the decision was reversed due to Gonzaga’s commitment to its Jesuit and Catholic identity, as the Catholic Church has a strong preference for abstention over contraceptives. During this time, the Obama administration implemented a new policy that ensured that women would have access to preventative health care, including contraceptives at no cost, as well as accommodating religious freedoms.
“But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company — not the hospital, not the charity — will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles,” former President Barack Obama said.
Since this policy’s implementation, Roe v. Wade was overturned, which made it harder to access contraceptives in some states like Texas and Missouri.
Saint Louis University (SLU), a Jesuit university in St. Louis, Missouri, does not provide contraceptives or prescription medication for pregnancy prevention. Like other Jesuit universities, they abide by “Jesuit Catholic beliefs regarding family planning.”
There is a response to an oral contraceptive question on the SLU “New Student Checklist and Frequently Asked Questions” page which is one of the only places you can find information about their policies on contraceptives.
“In alignment with Catholic moral tradition, the Saint Louis University Student Health Center does not prescribe oral contraceptives, dispense condoms or provide any other devices for the purpose of preventing pregnancy. Our medical providers are sensitive to issues surrounding sexual and reproductive health,” the university wrote.
Fordham is a part of the few schools that offer limited exceptions to what the university can provide to students. The Fordham Student Handbook: Contraceptives/Birth Control states “University Health Services staff do make limited exceptions in writing appropriate prescriptions for the treatment of an existing medical condition accompanied by supporting documentation. Some examples of medical indications are: acne, irregular periods, heavy periods, cramps, and polycystic ovary syndrome.”
Fordham students can go to university health services located in G16 in the basement of the 140 West 62nd Street Building at Lincoln Center. Their reproductive care will adhere to university standards.
Fordham has two clubs that lie on opposite sides of this issue. Fordham’s Respect For Life club is the university’s pro-life club that offers free services to pregnant and parenting students on campus. They are holding an event on March 25 at Rose Hill with associate professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of law Michael Baur. Baur will be discussing the ethics of killing in relation to the abortion issue and other life issues.
The Young Democratic Socialists of America is another Rose Hill-based club that deals with issues relating to reproductive rights. In the past, they have held events that have offered free Plan-B and condoms. They have been vocal in their opposition towards Fordham’s policies on contraceptives. Their Instagram page keeps students up to date with upcoming events and reminders from the club.