Need emergency birth control? Try Indy’s new vending machine
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Past the vinyl records and books at Dear Mom, a general store on the near east side, you’ll find a blue and orange colored vending machine. But instead of potato chips and candy bars, it’s filled with Plan B, condoms and pregnancy tests.
The machine is the result of efforts from three organizations focused on reproductive rights: All-Options, Indiana Task FORCE and Midwest Access Coalition. They want to create community hubs across Indiana with resources and information about sexual health.
It’s important now more than ever, they say, because of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban and fears that legislators may seek to limit access to contraception next.
“It’s so important for us to remember that even with these laws that seem to be targeting some of us, we have always been able to come together and really work to get the resources we need,” said Melissa Gruver, the organizing director for Indiana Task FORCE.
Here’s how you can use the free resources inside.
How does it work?
The vending machine is housed at Dear Mom, 2121 E 10th St. The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Select the product you’d like from the machine by pushing the corresponding buttons. A team of volunteers will restock free emergency contraception, internal and external condoms, pregnancy tests and harm reduction resources, including Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
[The Overdose Lifeline website helps to find the locations of NaloxBoxes in the city.]
What is emergency contraception and when would I need it?
Emergency contraception prevents pregnancy after unprotected sex or if your birth control method fails. The morning-after pill is more effective the sooner you take it. Plan B, which doesn’t require a prescription, works best when taken within three days of unprotected sex.
Plan B costs about $50 and is more expensive than regular birth control methods — but in the vending machine, it’s free.
Why a vending machine?
Jessica Louise, the organizing manager of All-Options, said the vending machine is a proactive way to prepare for Indiana’s 2025 legislative session.
“Indiana is a pro-birth state,” they said. “They will definitely have their eye on birth control next session.”
The vending machine model has been used before on college campuses, including at Butler University. But the east side location is the first free community-based version, said Walker Fitz, an organizer for Midwest Access Coalition, a regional abortion fund.
“Even if these things are legal, they are not accessible for everybody,” said Fitz, who cited barriers like cost and navigating access at pharmacies.
Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.