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Let’s say I pay for a doctor’s visit, once annually, to prescribe contraception. $200. Pills on the expensive side, $50 a month, because the generics make me flatulent, or give me migraines, or take away my sex drive. And I use condoms because I’m scared about STDs. Or I really, really don’t want to have a baby in law school and I would never have an abortion, and I’m the kind of math nerd who says 1% x 2% pregnancy chance = 0.02% pregnancy chance.

Hey, I’m up to $1000 a year, and I’m only having sex every other day. Okay, I’m having sex every day, but my boyfriend and I split the cost of the condoms.

(Actually I think Fluke’s numbers and anecdotes were pretty bogus but you could get to “up to $1000 a year” without being insanely far-fetched about it.)

“Okay, I’m having sex every day, but my boyfriend and I split the cost of the condoms”

If anything ever happens to your boyfriend, please let me know. Your don’t happen to like to fish do you?

Let’s say I pay for a doctor’s visit, once annually, to prescribe contraception. $200. Pills on the expensive side, $50 a month, because the generics make me flatulent, or give me migraines, or take away my sex drive.

But the argument is that students CANNOT AFFORD to pay for birth control, and are going broke having so much sex.

So the question is not how MUCH you can pay, but the MINIMUM amount it would cost you. The argument is that a student CANNOT pay for her own birth control. So the question has to start with the minimum it would cost you, not the maximum.

Planned Parenthood's own website pegs the cost of the pill as starting at $15 per month, and also the patch starting at $15 per month.

So if you don't like the pill, use the patch.

In Washington, DC, no matter what the product or service, there is always someone who will charge you as much as you are willing to pay. You can pay $500 for dinner for two. But you can also cook yourself for $5 for two.

So sure you could always spend more. But would it be necessary? No.

And if a future lawyer cannot figure out how to afford her own birth control, do you want her anywhere near a courtroom?