Your signature can have a big impact. Use it wisely.

VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood ran a tabling campaign last semester for the Affordable Birth Control Act, which would lower the costs of birth control pills on campus. Because of a ridiculous law that lumped birth control in a category with narcotics, bulk prices for birth control — the prices our campus pays, for example — skyrocketed in the past year. The price of everyday, commonly used birth control pills increased by 900 percent for students. I have signed petitions against domestic violence, homelessness, the slaughter of wolves, many different acts that proposed limitations on my rights, and, of course, our petition for affordable birth control. I make a point to always read what I’m signing. I do not want my name to be connected to anything that I might not fully understand and support.

Your signature can really make a huge difference. The Affordable Birth Control Act passed as part of an appropriations bill in the past two weeks. President Obama signed the bill into law last week. Let the prices (and pregnancy rates) fall!

So, by signing those petitions, we really are committing our names and support to our opinions, and those opinions can be heard loud and clear when enough of us speak up. Know your rights, know what you believe and speak up for it. Buy your newly inexpensive birth control pills and know it was you and your classmates who made that difference.