Pennsylvania College Sells ‘Morning After’ Pills in Vending Machine

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Shippensburg University / AP

The vending machine at Shippensburg University's Etter Health Center that provides the Plan B emergency contraceptive along with condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests.

With approval from the student government and blessings from 85% of its 8,500 students, Shippensburg University installed a unique vending machine in its Etter Health Center two years ago. The device doesn’t quite dispense chips or soda — instead it sells condoms, pregnancy tests and Plan B One-Step emergency contraceptives, according to the Associated Press.

The school managed to stay under the radar at first, but the recent outcry over Planned Parenthood funding prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take interest.

(MORE: Pfizer Birth Control Recall: Could Women Who Get Pregnant Sue? )

Dr. Roger Serr, a student affairs representative at the school, told CBS that he hopes the vending machine will give students more privacy when purchasing the Plan B “morning-after” pill, which contains a stronger dose of female hormones than regularly found in daily birth control pills and works best if used within 24 hours of having intercourse.

According to Serr, the school is not promoting promiscuous behavior, and the vending machine is only available to students during limited health-center hours, the Daily Mail reports.

Shippensburg told the Associated Press that, on average, at least one student purchases the $25 Plan B dose per day and the school sells about 300 to 400 packs a year. The pill, which 17-year-olds can legally buy from a pharmacist, costs students $25 per dose.

“I think it’s great that the school is giving us this option,” student Chelsea Wehking told the Associated Press. “I’ve heard some kids say they’d be too embarrassed.”

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