Planned Parenthood of North Florida reduced the price of birth control last week in an attempt to meet women's needs better as they face economic recession.
The prices dropped by 50 percent for some products, said Natalie Muniz, director of education and communication for Planned Parenthood of North Florida, which has clinics in Gainesville, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.
The price of birth control pills dropped from $25 to $20, the price of NuvaRings dropped from $60 to $30, Depo-Provera birth control shots are $65 and the Ortho-Evra birth control patch is $30, Muniz said.
"With this economy, women have to make choices," Muniz said. "An unintended pregnancy brings a whole other set of economic challenges."
Muniz, who teaches sex education classes for the North Florida chapter, said the lower prices came as a result of a merge between the Northeast Florida and Central Florida Planned Parenthood chapters.
The merge, which went into effect in June, will help provide more services for the surrounding areas, including extending their reach to 25 counties, Muniz said.
The larger coverage will help people in rural areas take advantage of the services the clinics offer, including sex education, STD testing and men's and women's health care.
"It's expensive," said psychology junior Julie Julien, referring to the cost of birth control. "But if you want it that badly, you should be [able to find a way to get it]."
But Muniz said Planned Parenthood provides birth control to millions of women a year and is glad the prices have been lowered, even if women were willing to pay the high prices.
"We're really, really happy we can do this," she said. "The need never changes."
