One of the larger dynamics in this country is the one that occurs when a group of people don’t like something for one reason, and say it is for another reason- and controversies like those surrounding Plan B and HPV vaccines are a great illustration of this.

Earlier this week, it became big news when it was revealed that a Pennsylvania university had installed a vending machine to dispense the high-dose birth control pill Plan B. I will say for the record now that I believe that in the history of marketing, the selection of the name “Plan B” is pretty woeful- it seems to cast an pall of irresponsibility over the name of the ill-understood product. (While many believe Plan B is an abortion-inducing medication, it is in fact just a high-dose version of the Pill, and does nothing more than the Pill itself can do.)

And though the birth control pill itself is not available over the counter, Plan B often is, depending on your area and the religious views of your pharmacist. Often cloaked in the guise of concern for the health of women, people get upset that the ubiquity of Plan B allows women to have “consequence free sex” by covering failures in birth control. Naturally, when Plan B appeared in a vending machine for $25 at the college in Pennsylvania, it was pretty controversial.

Following the media blitz, it was revealed that the Food Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the situation, and in a statement, they said they are “working to gather the facts now, including contacting Pennsylvania state authorities and the university.” Do you think Plan B in a vending machine is irresponsible?

Plan B in Vending Machine Prompts FDA Investigation is a post from: The Inquisitr

Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania has a new vending machine on campus.  It dispenses condoms, pregnancy tests and Plan B morning after pills.  The machines were installed in the Etter Health Center on campus after a survey of students found that 85% of them supported putting in the machines.

Peter Gigliotti, the university’s executive director for communications and marketing told Fox News,

“We value student input on matters that directly pertain to their health and safety so these results were an important part of the decision-making process. We are not the first one to make this available so this is not unique to us or to public higher education. This decision was also made in consultation with our medical staff.”

Plan B is available without a prescription to anyone 17 or older anywhere in the United States.  Gigliotti says that all of the University’s student fit that criteria.  He also said the machine is in a private room in the University’s health center and can only be accessed by current students.

“Any student who wants to discuss Plan B may do so at any time. In addition, medical information is provided with the Plan B for purchasers to read before its use.”

Father David Hillier, pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation Roman Catholic Church and Shippensburg’s campus minister, is vehemently opposed to making the contraceptive available on the campus.  He told Fox News,

“We have and will continue to work to see the decision of this state university reconsidered and overturned,”

While it is presented that 85% of students support the vending machines, the number may actually be higher because even more students support making the pill available just maybe not in the specific venue it is currently available in.

Do you think that the University should be allowing students to buy contraception in a vending machine?

Watch an amateur newscaster discuss the issue!

Pennsylvania University Puts “Plan B” In A Vending Machine [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amidst the overpriced snacks and beverages, Best Buy has rolled out this automated electronics dispenser at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, the Dallas Morning News discovered. Inside everything from blank discs to headphones and even a full-fledged iPod awaits you — if you don’t mind, of course, paying the presumably inflated price.

Wonder if there’s a button to get an unhelpful store associate, too.

(Image: Dallas/Fort Worth Airport via Dallas Morning News)

Introducing the Best Buy Vending Machine is a post from: The Inquisitr