Sacramento, Calif., Oct 14, 2019 / 10:48 am
California governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Friday a measure requiring public universities to provide free access to medical abortions for students.
The law will take effect in 2023, and applies to the 34 campuses of the University of California and California State University.
Sen. Connie Levya (D-Chino), the law's author, said Oct. 11 that "abortion is a protected right, and it is important that everyone-including college students-have access to that right, if they so choose. I thank the Governor and my legislative colleagues for upholding the right to choose and affirming the right of college students to access medication abortion on campuses here in California."
The law will also create a fund to provide a $200,000 grant to each public university student health center to pay for the cost of offering abortion pills, with money coming from nonstate sources such as private sector entities and local and federal government agencies.