--- title: "War on Birth Control: The Colbert Report Goes After Student Suspended for Taking the Pill" date: 2009-08-11T03:14:42-04:00 author: OBOS Admin canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/war-on-birth-control-the-colbert-report" section: Blog (Archive) --- [Donate](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/donate) [From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# War on Birth Control: The Colbert Report Goes After Student Suspended for Taking the Pill By Christine Cupaiuolo • August 11, 2009 Please note: This entry -- originally posted at [Our Bodies, Our Blog](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog) -- has not been updated since the publication date listed above. Back in April, the [Washington Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/04/AR2009040402591.html) reported on a Fairfax, Va., high school honor student who received a two-week suspension and was recommended for expulsion for -- wait for it -- taking her birth control pill. In the era of zero-tolerance, many schools have rules prohibiting students from possessing over-the-counter and prescription drugs. In Fairfax, the penalties are stiff: > In Virginia, school systems must comply with state code regarding prescription medications and illegal drugs on campus. Students face expulsion if they bring to school any "controlled substance" or addictive drug regulated by the federal government. "Imitation controlled substances," which could include virtually any prescription pill, are subject to the same hefty repercussions. Local school boards can give a lighter punishment after a review. > > > > A small portion of school health clinics across the country distribute birth-control pills to teens. But in Fairfax, even carrying the pills in a backpack is counted among the most serious offenses in the Student Responsibilities and Rights handbook. In a 2008 survey, a little more than a quarter of Fairfax teenagers, and 44 percent of 12th-graders, reported being sexually active, according to the Post. And 10 percent of those who said they were sexually active reported not using contraception the last time they had sex. Deb Hauser of [Advocates for Youth](http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that focuses on adolescent sexual health, put it best when she said: "To put birth control in the same category as illegal drugs or handguns stigmatizes responsible behavior." But leave it to Stephen Colbert to fully contextualize the punishment alongside America's war on drugs. The student, Freesia Jackson, 17, is a terrific sport in this segment, which aired last week. Fallopian dopers, beware ... [The Colbert Report](http://www.colbertnation.com)Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c[Nailed 'Em - War on Birth Control](http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/240632/august-03-2009/nailed--em---war-on-birth-control)[www.colbertnation.com](http://www.colbertnation.com/) [Colbert Report Full Episodes](http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes)[Political Humor](http://www.indecisionforever.com)[Meryl Streep](http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=240805) --- #### 6 Responses Our Bodies Ourselves is no longer able to accept comments. **Alan** on Aug 13, 2009 Contraception supporters should probably move out, to DC or Maryland, and abandon Virginia to the boneheads. **Megan** on Aug 13, 2009 She WAS a terrific sport! I laughed so hard at the "this is NOT how it happened, at all". She seems like a very down-to-earth person. And obviously responsible! I can't believe they said that birth control is just as dangerous as heroin. What?! Does not compute. **Knitting Clio** on Aug 14, 2009 This is hilarious -- yet another reason to love Colbert. **SarahC** on Aug 16, 2009 You know, I only recently got what Colbert was. But I'm expecting the girl in one of the teen fashion-rags soon. I bet Seventeen will be all over this. Irregardless, I am glad I don't live in Virginia. But I am glad that the girl's mother was involved in getting her on birth control, even if the school system is idiotic. I'd hate to think about how this will look on the girl's college applications, though. **Christine C.** on Aug 17, 2009 Well, it all depends on where she's applying to school ... While having a suspension on your record isn't good, it's easy to explain this one. And I bet the video clip from Colbert Report leaves some admission counselors in stitches. **BJA** on Nov 07, 2009 Let's let all of the morons south of the Mason-Dixon and east of the Mississippi secede once and for all like they keep saying they want to....We'll call it IdiotLand.... ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)Topics - [Birth Control & Family Planning](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/birth-control-family-planning) - [Youth](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/youth) ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)### *Why You Can* **Trust Us** - We rigorously evaluate all content - We embrace a reproductive justice framework - We don’t accept ads or sell products - We reject funding from the pharmaceutical industry - We counter misinformation and disinformation - We address the social, political, and economic factors that affect health and sexuality [read more](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/why-you-can-trust-us) Share [](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)