New Law Requires California Public Universities To Provide Access To Abortion Pill On Campus
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) - A bill requiring California public universities to provide students access to abortion pills was signed into law.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 24, and says it will reduce barriers for hundreds students forced to go off campus to seek medication abortions every month.
The new law requires University of California, and California State University health centers to offer medical abortions.
The abortion pill is given in two doses. The last pill is taken at home.
At UC Berkeley, students Scarlett Luo and Jonathan Wong think the abortion pill should be on their campus. In fact, they were actually surprised to learn it wasn't already available here to students.
"I think it's a right that students should have especially since this kind of thing unfortunately would happen at universities more often," said Wong.
"If I were to be in that situation, I would want to have something like this on campus so close to me," added Luo.
Campus anti-abortion club 'Spartans for Life' doesn't want the abortion pill on campus.
"I feel horrible thinking that like my students my peers would go through this like in their dorms without anyone to support them," said Spartans for Life vice-president Mariana Miranda.
"Some have died as a result of taking the abortion pill," the club's president Ricky Silva added. "Imagine a woman taking the pill at her dorm room."
The new law goes into effect in 2022.
Governor Newsom also signed AB 1264 which will allow Planned Parenthood to prescribe abortion pills to patients through an app on a smartphone.