News

April 5, 2009

Students: Accept birth control

Young adults at King’s College weigh in on issue raised by Scranton Diocese bishop.

WILKES-BARRE – Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino is worried about the availability of condoms and birth control at Catholic colleges.

But, some students at King’s College, a liberal arts Catholic school, said Saturday they believe contraception devices should be available, despite the church’s opposition to birth control. “It’s up to the student to decide if they should use condoms or not,” said Ken Loomis, 20.

Therese Conrad, a sophomore, said, “I think it’s kind of silly because I know it’s a Catholic college. However, not everyone who attends it is Catholic.”

Conrad, 20, said the Student Center at King’s has “Be Safe” pamphlets that tell students about birth-control options. “It’s a little naive for the bishop to be putting it down so much,” she said. “It’s been a long time since all these rules were written, so we need to adjust to the times. I think they’re good values to uphold, but I do know that not everyone follows them.”

The issue arose Friday when Martino asked Marywood University, University of Scranton, Misericordia University and King’s to provide information on student health services as result of a March 25 story published in a student newspaper about birth-control availability at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. The four college presidents are meeting this weekend to formulate a response.

Freshman Daniel Volovic, 19, said the availability of condoms on or near campus isn’t going to stop students from having sex. “Would you rather have students break church law and use condoms, or break church law and bring another kid into this world?” he said.

Besides, King’s students know where to get them. “It’s pretty much common sense,” Volovic said. “If it’s not available on campus, students can get it elsewhere.”

Jordan Moore, 19, who was with a group of friends in Esseff Hall, a freshmen dormitory for female students, said the use of contraception makes the campus safer because the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease is reduced. “Condoms are just a safer way from keeping HIV from spreading and all the other diseases,” Moore said.

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