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PA College Gets Nation's First Plan B Vending Machine

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on February 07, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Drunken nights of debauchery are part of every good college experience, but they often lead to embarrassing situations. For some, this includes a trip to the pharmacy, where one whispers a request for the morning after pill.

Enter the Plan B vending machine. No eye contact or hungover conversations necessary. For $25 cash, women -- and men -- can snag a bit of post-coital birth control.

It exists, but only at Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania.

The university's health center has installed a Plan B vending machine, which is believed to be the first of its kind. Students can pop in and pop out without being questioned.

You may be asking yourself how this can possibly be legal. Federal law only allows persons aged 17 years or older to purchase Plan B without a prescription. There was even a bit of recent outrage/praise when the FDA refused to lower the age to cover more teens.

Well, Shippensburg U may have its bases covered. Administrators checked, and all of its current students are of proper age, explains the Associated Press. The Plan B vending machine is also only accessible by students and staff.

It's located in the health center's self-care clinic, a private room where condoms, pregnancy tests and other over-the-counter medications are sold. Students must go through a check-in desk before they can access the room or any other treatment areas.

Still, the Plan B vending machine may seem legally dubious. That's because it is. The school may not actually be meeting its obligation to check identification before dispensing the pill.

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