There are many advantages that come with going to a Catholic college, but one of the disadvantages is the unfair and unjust campus policy that denies students access to contraception.

While there are no set numbers for how many college students are sexually active, it can be assumed that many students are. The question is: how many of them are using protection? One of the only ways to get birth control or other forms of contraception is by going to Safeway or a Planned Parenthood to get these products. It’s so important that students practice safe sex. If not, they could be exposed to a number of STDs and unwanted pregnancies could occur.

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit university, which means that it does not provide contraception. On the health center’s website, it states “The Cowell Center–Student Health Services does not provide condoms or prescribe contraception.” Moral and religious values weigh heavily on birth control issues. In a basic religion class, it is taught that sex should only be for reproduction purposes and not for pleasure. The Church considers it morally wrong to provide both women and men with any form of contraception, which includes both birth control pills and condoms.

For some students, they simply cannot afford the birth control that Planned Parenthood and other health services offer. Our campus and other Catholic colleges should give us the option to get methods of contraception, which we can actually afford. The reality is that birth control is necessary for a women’s well being and health. Having methods of birth control can lower both pregnancy and abortion rates among college students. The benefits that come with birth control are much stronger than the moral and religious issues that come with banning it.

My wish for our campus is that one day it will provide us with birth control so that we are able to have safe sex without having to take an Uber to the nearest Planned Parenthood or having to pay insane amounts of money just to afford a morning-after pill. We need better sex education and more ways for college students to be protected. Even if you aren’t having sex, it’s important to have that access to birth control just in case something happens and you want to be protected. I hope that soon colleges like Santa Clara will change their policies about contraception and make it available to all of their students. It’s time for Catholic universities to understand that students need to be able to have the means to have safe sex.