Correction appended
AU Students for Choice and Planned Parenthood assembled a wall of 84 cases of Ramen noodles on the Quad Feb. 13, totaling 2,016 Styrofoam cups of in those boxes.
Gabrielle Martinez, a Public Affairs representative for Planned Parenthood, said the demonstration was part of a national movement to show students the sheer quantity of food that can be purchased with the equivalent of a year’s worth of birth control.
Planned Parenthood estimates an average woman spends about $600 a year on birth control, equal to 84 cases of Ramen cups.
“[Planned Parenthood] is showing exactly what $600 is worth to college students and getting petitions signed to show support and thank President Obama for covering birth control in the Affordable Healthcare Act and also to tell Congress not to overturn his decision,” Martinez said.
“This is definitely one of those ‘shock-value’ events because so many people don’t realize how much money actually goes into this,” AU Students for Choice member Tea Sefer said. “We’re really passionate about it, we think it’s really important and we think it’s more than the moral issue that people have been pinning it as.”
The pyramid of orange ramen boxes sparked interest for many students, but not all were convinced by the groups’ message.
“I was shocked when I realized what this was,” Sean Atkinson a junior in the Kogod School of Business said. “Co-pays obviously suck, but I don’t really care about this issue.”
Students at the demonstration also decorated Valentine’s Day cards addressed to their members of Congress with the message: “Congress, listen up or we’re breaking up. Birth control matters.”
Members of the city’s Planned Parenthood office are engaging campuses across the city with events at Georgetown University and Howard University this week.
“We are trying our best to unite across campus,” Sefer said.
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A previous version of this story said AU Students for Choice and Planned Parenthood handed out the Ramen to students; the groups decided at the last minute to not hand out the Ramen.
