At Catholic colleges, student activists go underground to boost access to contraception

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A DePaul University student carries a bag of contraceptive supplies at Oz Park in Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Heidi Zeiger)

CHICAGO – College student Maya Roman has the handoff down to a science: a text message, a walk to a designated site, and a paper bag delivered with condoms and Plan B emergency contraception. At DePaul University, it’s the only way students can get a sliver of sexual health support, she said.

DePaul, a Catholic school in Chicago, prohibits distribution of any kind of birth control on its campus.

To get around that, a student group runs a covert contraceptive delivery network called “the womb service.” The group was once the university’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Acti