California Becomes First State in Nation to Mandate Medication Abortion Access on Public College Campuses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2019
Contact: Liza Dee, [email protected], 860-304-2294

National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) applauds first-of-its-kind legislation requiring colleges to provide medication abortion access to all students

New York – Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and the NIRH Action Fund, released the following statement today after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring the state’s public universities to offer medication abortion at campus health centers. The legislation, S.B. 24, was reintroduced by State Senator Connie Leyva in December – after outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a previous version of the same bill – and removes unnecessary travel and cost barriers students face when seeking care. Its passage underscores the power of state and local elections to protect and expand access to reproductive health care with Roe v. Wade under attack.

“California is part of a growing number of states that are leading the way in protecting abortion access at a time when our constitutional rights are under attack,” said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health and NIRH Action Fund. “Thanks to the advocacy of Governor Newsom, State Sen. Leyva, their allies in the California state legislature, and tireless activists on the ground, tens of thousands of students will have access to safe abortion care in the communities where they live. We hope California’s new law encourages even more states to ensure women can maintain their reproductive freedoms – and we hope it reminds voters nationwide that state and local elections matter.”

For more than a decade, NIRH has been a leader in the fight to advance reproductive freedom across the country. Recently, they were integral to the successful effort to repeal an outdated criminal abortion ban in Massachusetts, and they led the fight to pass New York’s landmark Reproductive Health Act. Earlier this year, NIRH published a report tracking the passage of more than 100 bills to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice in 27 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.).

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The NIRH Action Fund conducts nonpartisan advocacy and electoral engagement to advance reproductive freedom in states and cities across the country.