California Legislation Could Force Community Colleges To Hand Out Abortion Pills

California community college health centers could greatly expand access to medication abortion services for students if proposed legislation is enacted, CalMatters reported Tuesday.

The legislation, Assembly Bill 2540, would mandate that community colleges with student health centers in the Golden State provide access to abortion pills beginning in 2029 if the state Legislature appropriates funds, according to CalMatters.

While proponents claim the bill could bolster access for community college students grappling with transportation, cost, privacy or insurance barriers to obtaining off-campus abortion care, campus health center directors argue that many California community colleges simply lack the necessary resources, staffing or clinical capacity to provide the service, the outlet reported.

“Existing law requires, on and after January 1, 2023, a student health center on a California State University or University of California campus to offer abortion by medication techniques, as specified,” according to the bill’s summary. “Existing law establishes the College Student Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund to be administered by the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and continuously appropriates the moneys in that fund to the commission for specified activities related to providing abortion by medication techniques at student health centers.”

The legislation would “require a student health center on a California State University or University of California campus, on or before January 1, 2028, to promote awareness of the services for abortion by medication techniques that the student health center offers, provide information on those services to students, and post the availability of those services on its internet website.”