Vending

Connecticut considers funding emergency contraceptive vending machines on college campuses

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April 1, 2025

Connecticut lawmakers are considering a bill that would provide state grants to colleges and universities for the installation of vending machines dispensing emergency contraceptives and over-the-counter medications, according to a CT Insider report. This initiative aims to improve access to reproductive healthcare for students, particularly in a post-Roe v. Wade environment.

State Rep. Kate Farrar, a co-sponsor of the bill, told the news outlet, "[Students] want to focus on their education. They want to focus on their health and wellbeing, and make sure that they have access to services and vending machines just provide, you know, more convenience for many of our students."

The proposed legislation follows a 2023 state law that legalized the sale of over-the-counter medications in vending machines, and builds on the University of Connecticut's recent installation of a "Wellness to Go" health care vending machine. The bill, if passed, would offer a one-time grant to institutions to cover the start-up costs, estimated to be between $5,000 and $7,000 per campus.