Thirty-two students got prescriptions for emergency contraception at Smith Plaza on Tuesday.
Jaclynn Castanon was one of those students.
"It's cool," she said. "It's convenient."
Castanon said she had been in situations where pharmacies were closed and she wasn't able get Plan B, an emergency contraception that prevents pregnancy after unprotected sex.
She said accidents happen, and it's important for women to have the option to use Plan B.
In New Mexico, Plan B is available through prescription. New Mexico is also one of six states that licenses pharmacists to sell Plan B over the counter.
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Connie Rossignol, nurse practitioner at the Student Health Center, said there is a lot of misinformation about Plan B.
"It is not an abortion pill," she said. "It seems to work before conception or postpones ovulation so the timing is off."
Aubrey Montgomery of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League Pro-Choice New Mexico said emergency contraception has been an option for women only in the last two years.
"It's so important," she said. "An emergency option is better. You may not need it now, but you may need it at some point."
She said it's an additional peace of mind for women.
Rossignol said an unplanned pregnancy is a catastrophe for many women.
"It's disruptive, to say the least," she said. "Those folks really need a backup method."
She said half of unplanned pregnancies happen to people using some type of birth control.
Student Valerie Prando said she wouldn't have gotten a prescription if the booth weren't on campus.
"Most people won't want to go to the doctor," she said. "It's helpful for students that don't want to go down there."
She said she's glad she had the opportunity to get a prescription for Plan B.
"It's too expensive to have a kid, and I really don't need one right now," she said.
Montgomery said this is the second year NARAL has come to campus for emergency contraception day.
She said they only wrote five prescriptions last year. She was pleased with the numbers Tuesday.
"The more we dispel the myth about the morning-after pill, the more we can get it over the counter," she said. "Once it's available over the counter, we can do better at reducing unplanned pregnancies and the number of abortions."
She said it was also important that they were able to hand out a lot of information.
"If they have the info, they can prevent the panic," she said.
