Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) recently praised La Salette Academy students for using their voices to oppose a bill that would require public institutions of higher learning to have emergency contraception (EC) available for purchase in vending machines.

“The Capitol was visited by students from La Salette Academy in Georgetown, Ill,”  Grant said. “These young men came to voice their opinions in opposition to House Bill 4247. It is so great to see the young people of Illinois getting involved in our state politics and fighting for what they believe in.”

The bill requires that students have access to ECs on weekends or after class hours.

Kelly Cleland, executive director of the American Society for Emergency Contraception, said there’s misinformation regarding EC.

“Emergency contraception is, as the name says, contraception,” Cleland said, according to WCBU. “It prevents, and does not end, pregnancy. We have years and years of scientific evidence showing that EC does not work if someone's already pregnant, and it doesn't harm an existing pregnancy.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) defined EC as “a concentrated dose of regular oral contraceptives taken in one dose or two doses over 12 hours” and notes that it “reduces the chances of getting pregnant” after unprotected sex. IDPH noted that many women who use EC experience side effects including nausea and vomiting and that it is around 75% effective.

Rose Brown, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said students should have access to EC.

“Preventing pregnancy is of utmost importance to a majority of college students,” Brown said, according to WCBU. “HB4247 supports young adults in their reproductive autonomy as well as in their ability to prioritize their education and their futures, by preventing a pregnancy that is potentially unwanted or unintended.”

Emergency contraception is not the same as RU-486, which ends an existing pregnancy.  Mayo Clinic listed the side effects of EC as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, breast tenderness, abdominal pain or cramping, and disruptions in the menstrual cycle.