A Minnesota bar has become the first in the world to sell pregnancy tests.
Patrons at the Pub 500 in Mankato can pay $3 and obtain a test from a vending machine in the women’s bathroom, the
New York Times reports.
The bar’s owner, Tom Frederick, had the machine installed in July. It only accepts plastic.
So far, only 12 tests have been dispensed, Frederick said.
“We thought it was a strange idea at first but very quickly came to the realization that this could be beneficial,” he told the Times.
Healthy Brains for Children, a nonprofit group, approached Frederick and installed the machine. The organization seeks to lower the number of U.S. fetal alcohol syndrome cases.
The group believes the anonymity of buying the test in the bathroom adds to its allure. The Times reports that pregancy tests are one of the most shoplifted items in the country.
So far the local response has been largely positive, the Times reports, citing the test’s privacy and low price. Opponents in the southern Minnesota city — home to a Minnesota State University campus — questioned why a woman would be in a bar if she already suspected that she was pregnant.
The CBS show “The Doctors” featured PUB 500 and its pregnancy test dispenser on Friday.
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