Catholic Colleges and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
At DePaul University, a Catholic school in Chicago, students have taken matters into their own hands to provide reproductive health support. The university prohibits the distribution of birth control on its campus, but a student group, once the university’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, has found a way around this restriction. They operate a covert contraceptive delivery network called “the womb service,” which provides condoms and Plan B emergency contraception to students in need.
The group was forced to disband as a registered student organization in June, but they continue to operate off-campus, determined to fill the gap in reproductive health care. Maya Roman, an economics student and president of the group, said, “It was seeing a need in the community and trying my best to address it right away.” The group receives about 15 to 25 orders each week for contraception and hosts sex education seminars.
Restrictions on Contraception Access
Catholic universities, which generally do not offer contraceptives on their campuses or at school-run health centers, have sparked controversy over their restrictions on reproductive health care. Many of these institutions restrict access to contraceptives, citing church teachings that discourage premarital sex and birth control. However, student activists argue that they are providing essential help on campuses that enroll students of all faiths.
According to Jill Delston, associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, “What’s at stake for these students is their bodily autonomy — the direction of the rest of their lives, their ability to pursue their goals, get a degree, have a career or start a family at the time it suits them.” Delston has studied contraception access and notes that a lack of access to contraception can have deep, long-term impacts on students’ lives.
Efforts to restrict contraception have mounted around the US, with some state legislatures seeking to exclude emergency contraception and other birth control methods from state Medicaid programs or introducing bills requiring parental consent for minors to access contraception. Conversely, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation in August requiring colleges and universities to offer contraception and abortion medication at on-campus pharmacies and student health centers, but it applies only to public institutions.
Student Activism and Reproductive Health
Student groups at Catholic universities have stepped in to fill the gaps in reproductive health care, often navigating pushback from college administrators. At Loyola University, another Catholic institution in Chicago, Students for Reproductive Justice delivers condoms, lubricant, pregnancy tests, and emergency contraception directly to students. They receive as many as 20 orders in a single night and host Free Condom Friday, where members pass out condoms at bus stops just off campus.
At the University of Notre Dame, the student group Irish 4 Reproductive Health formed in 2017 to file a lawsuit challenging the university’s decision to deny birth control coverage to students and employees. The group today distributes contraception off campus, with co-president Gabriella Shirtcliff saying, “Our work helps reduce the risk of unplanned pregnancy that might require someone to get an abortion.”
The American Society for Emergency Contraception has launched an effort to help student activists expand contraception access on college campuses, installing 150 vending machines that dispense emergency contraception on campuses. Kelly Cleland, the group’s executive director, notes that Catholic universities can be “challenging environments” for student activists, but says, “This is a lesson for them about organizing in challenging environments.”
A Call to Action
Maya Roman, the president of the student group at DePaul University, hopes that more students on Catholic campuses will challenge their universities’ reproductive health policies. “It is possible; it is feasible,” she said. “And you’re not alone in this fight.” The students behind the womb service have re-applied under a new name — Students United for Reproductive Justice — and plan to continue distributing contraceptives this semester.
DePaul University freshman Anna Daniel, 19, assembles a kit of contraceptive supplies at Oz Park in Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Heidi Zeiger)
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