ASUCD Senate debates buying emergency contraceptives for students at May 14 meeting
Members of the table went back and forth over a spending bill to stock Plan B
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — campus@theaggie.org
During a lengthy meeting on May 14, the ASUCD Senate discussed free emergency contraceptives for students and a Senate Bill (SB) seeking to fund the purchase of Plan B.
SB#116, authored by Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) Chairperson Catalina Silva-Oliveira, allocates $1,527.32 to GASC for the bulk purchase of Plan B to be distributed at educational and promotional events in the 2026-27 school year and the first half of the 2027-28 year. Any leftover Plan B will be donated to The Pantry.
Plan B is an effective emergency contraceptive method that individuals can take within 72 hours after having sex to prevent pregnancy. In 2024, then-GASC Chairperson Tristen Dillard authored SB#16 to allocate $2,796.50 for a bulk purchase of 350 units of Plan B. Over 180 units of the 350 were taken in the 2024-25 school year, according to Silva-Oliveira.
During public comment, multiple members of the public came to speak out against SB#116, encouraging money to be invested in other student resources.
“With major budget cuts going on across universities, access to Plan B is not the most urgent issue facing students,” Erin Azevedo, a third-year human development major, said. “Emergency contraception is already plenty available in pharmacies, student health centers, clinics and by online delivery sources. So instead, in a time like this, $1,500 in student funds should be put toward services that benefit a larger percentage of the students on campus, like campus safety, mental health resources, food insecurity programs, etc.”
Peyton Croghan, a fourth-year psychology major, also emphasized the importance of other student needs and called for the redirection of the $1,500 to alternative resources.
“While the amount of money involved in this bill might not seem like a lot, maybe to the larger ASUCD budget, it still represents student funds and money paid by students who are already struggling financially, emotionally, academically,” Croghan said. “I ask that for the students fighting every day just to stay at UC Davis, that you use this opportunity to invest in the issues that are most urgently affecting their ability to be here in the first place.”
ASUCD Senator and President-elect Luis L. Garcia responded to the members of the public and highlighted already existing ASUCD programs and resources.
“I obviously respect your guys' beliefs and everyone's opinions here on the table,” Garcia said. “It's more about giving students a choice to do what they want with their own body. We want to make sure we're addressing student needs — just because it's not necessarily like your guys’ needs doesn't mean it's not a need on campus. I just want to make sure that people stop thinking that we can only do one thing or it's only right to do one thing, but we're pushing towards making sure we're doing a little bit of everything — being sure we're listening to a little bit of all student concerns.”
Later, during discussion of the bill, Senator Mia Oscanoa also spoke out against the bill and argued that discretionary spending should be scrutinized and used for greater student needs.
“In your [bill] background, you admitted the GASC budget is being cut by 40%, meaning discretionary spending should be further scrutinized at an even larger scale,” Oscanoa said. “Given that there are a lot of student needs —- like food insecurity, housing, poor mental health, transportation, academic resources — and purchasing of this product is clearly controversial as we have heard, it may not be the best use of ASUCD funding.”
Oscanoa continued, citing the leftover stock from SB#16 as a sign that the $1,500 purchase was not urgent.
“You also said you want to purchase 350 [units], given that around 180 were distributed, meaning a little less than half of your supply remains undistributed," Oscanoa said. “This means you still have inventory, so there’s no urgent shortage of [Plan B]. Like, if I was a bakery owner and bought 100 croissants and 50 get eaten and then I buy 100 muffins and all 100 muffins get eaten, what am I gonna buy? More muffins right? Not croissants. It’s just common logic.”
Silva-Oliveira then spoke in response to those who were against the bill, discussing the importance of emergency contraceptives as a basic need for students.
“A lot of people came in and gave public comment, with concerns about Plan B [and] whether they agree with it, whether they use it — it doesn’t matter,” Silva-Oliveira said. “You have never attended a GASC event or seen us tabling. Anyone who picks up a Plan B is explained what Plan B is, the effects, who can use it, who can’t use it and basically the restrictions that are around it. I have very little tolerance for stupid comments so let’s try and do our research beforehand.”
Silva-Oliveira continued, making an impassioned statement on the matter and calling out Oscanoa’s comments.
“For those who say it is not a campus need, physical health is linked to mental health,” Silva-Oliveira said. “If you are pregnant and you don’t want to be, you are opening yourself to things like depression, anxiety and stress. So, to claim that [pregnancy] is a single-faceted issue means you did your ChatGPT research, now let’s move on to Google Scholar please. So shame on you [Oscanoa] and shame on all of you for being so selfish and small-minded. You need to recognize how incredibly privileged you are to not be able to struggle for basic health care. Plan B and access to Plan B is health care, and this elitist way of thinking will ultimately be the downfall of society. And you said it yourself [Oscanoa] — we [ASUCD] prioritize basic needs, or does that just apply to what you want?”
Before a vote was held, Senator Ezra Rubin also spoke out on the bill, arguing that the Plan Bs should have been covered in the initial GASC budget.
“I think this does set an unfair standard of power, because GASC [sits] on the [Senate] table, so they have easier access to make bills and propose additional funding to supplement what they couldn’t get in their budget,” Rubin said. “Units and committees have less access to that, and I don’t think it’s fair to cover something that should probably be covered in their budget, whereas other units and committees don’t have that opportunity.”
The bill passed with 9 yes votes, 3 no votes, and 2 abstentions. Senators Harshpartap Dhillon, Luis L. Garcia, Pattarin Khajornchaikul, Nate Little, Phoenix List, Rosa Linda Martinez, Jaliah Payne, Jenna Younes and International Student Representative Robi Castaneda voted yes. Senators Aaron Heth, Mia Oscanoa and Ezra Rubin voted no. Senators Siena Dill-Cruz and Transfer Student Representative Imani Nur abstained due to their absence.
The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. and adjourned at 9:51 p.m.
Written By: Aaliyah Español-Rivas — campus@theaggie.org
Legislation Tracker:
An amendment to change how the ASUCD Student Advocate is selected, making the position appointed rather than elected. To be placed on the ASUCD fall 2026 ballot for student approval.
Passed unanimously
Allocates $1,074.38 to The California Aggie to replace old and damaged newspaper racks.
Passed unanimously
Allocates $1,527.32 to ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commission for a bulk purchase of Plan B for educational and promotional events, including tabling.
(9 yes, 3 no, 2 abstain)
Allocates $600 to the Office of Senator Luis L. Garcia for a special program in collaboration with the ASUCD Coffee House to provide a space and funds for students to bring professionals for a sponsored coffee chat.
Passed unanimously
Allocates $5,000 to Admin General for the purchase of a 2018 Polaris Gem E4 golf cart.
Passed unanimously