Accessible Contraception on Campus
By Ciara Barrett
As of September, contraception has been free for those assigned female at birth, aged 16-30. According to Gov.ie, this covers the cost of prescription contraception, the cost of both inserting and removing long term contraception such as IUDs and the bar, the cost of training additional medical professionals for insertion and removal of the IUD and bar, consultations following the insertion of long term contraception and the cost of up to two appointments a year to discuss different forms of contraception and what is best for you. The scheme also covers removal of any form of long term contraception inserted before your 30th birthday, even if the removal itself takes place afterwards.
So what does this mean for us as students? UCC Student Health will be participating in this scheme, meaning that this will apply to all UCC students between the ages of 16 and 30 who live in Ireland or are expecting to live in Ireland for a minimum of 12 months. However, the cost of long acting reversible contraception (LARC) themselves will not be covered by the scheme. This cost remains miniscule in comparison to the previous prices paid for long term birth control, especially as a student. While condoms are not covered by the free contraception scheme, they are available for free from the SU Welfare Officers office, where you can get 3 per day for free.
For those under 30, the scheme also covers emergency contraception such as the morning after pill. You’ll need your PPS number, name, and address to avail of the service so that your pharmacist can ensure that you fall into the 16-30 age range.
The free contraception scheme follows the 2018 abortion referendum in terms of normalising safe sex in Ireland, something that is relatively new to us as condoms only became legal in Ireland in 1985. The fight for safe sex and sexual health is ongoing in Ireland, and this important step will be remembered for years to come.
Unfortunately, there can still be some difficulty in securing abortion services, with 1 in 10 of GPs registered to provide abortions as of 2022, according to the National Women’s Council. There are also currently a limited number of GPs signed up for the free contraception scheme, with this number expected to increase drastically the longer the scheme is in place. Although not all GPs are registered for one or the other of these services, they are still required to refer patients to a GP who has registered- whether it is for abortion services or the free contraception scheme.
Many people see the next step in this vein of healthcare to be the addressing of period poverty. Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products. However, many companies have taken it upon themselves to try and combat this, such as Lidl introducing a scheme where people are entitled to free period products once a month with a coupon that can be accessed in the Lidl Plus app.
While there is still some limitations to the free contraception scheme, such as the age range, it’s a very important step in safe sex and sexual health in Ireland. The free contraception scheme comes as part of the Women’s Health Action Plan enacted by current Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, which focuses on areas of healthcare that are lacking for women. On top of the free contraception scheme, there are also plans in place to increase access to specialist gynaecology, menopause, and endometriosis clinics in Ireland, Sexual Assault Clinics, and plans to invest in ending period poverty in Ireland. The hope is to enact these plans between now and the 2023 budget, and the full plan can be accessed on gov.ie.
The goal of this scheme and the Women’s Health Action Plan is to ensure that both the cost of living crisis and an individual's income don’t negatively impact their access to sexual, general, and mental health services. Accessibility of contraception in Ireland is a relatively new phenomenon in and of itself, and so to see free contraception throughout the country is a huge step forward in sexual health in Ireland.