Why the College Student Right to Access Act could be a crucial reproductive rights win

Right now, California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at public universities to offer medication abortion. None of them currently do, despite the fact that hundreds of students seek this care every month.

The College Student Right to Access Act would make sure that once a student has decided to end a pregnancy, they won’t be forced to go off campus to see a provider they don’t know. Even in a state without major abortion restrictions, I have seen fellow students at my campus, San José State, struggle to overcome obstacles to care. Passing this bill, therefore, would be an important step forward for student access to reproductive care and have major implications for reproductive rights, not just in California. 

Already this year, politicians in Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama have passed increasingly extreme abortion bans. Even without these laws going into effect, women in certain parts of the country have to travel out of state to get an abortion or jump through hoops like waiting periods and listening to state-mandated counseling designed to dissuade them from ending a pregnancy to get care. These politically and ideologically motivated obstacles are designed to cause those seeking an abortion financial, logistical, and emotional strain. 

For students who don’t have much money in the bank or reliable transportation, or who are already parents with significant family obligations, getting off-campus to get an abortion is that much harder. As a low-income, first-generation student of color, I know firsthand that barriers to health care loom largest for people like me. Offering abortion care on campus says to these students that their needs matter and that they are supported. By passing this bill, California would send the message that leaving communities behind isn’t OK, here or anywhere. 

Passing the College Student Right to Access Act would also honor the fact that these communities know best what they need — after all, the effort to bring abortion care on campus started because students saw the need for it themselves. Students at UC Berkeley recognized that the obstacles they face to getting an abortion are substantial, advocated to bring care on campus, and kicked off a movement that spread statewide. The progress we have made in getting this bill through the legislative process shows just how much change is possible when young people mobilize. Students are advocating for greater access to reproductive health care in Georgia and Illinois, too, and together we’re showing the world that young people aren’t backing down and the reproductive justice movement isn’t going anywhere. 

I originally joined this campaign so that students down the line don’t have to and can work to push the needle even further toward true freedom. Now, my state has the opportunity to set the vision for what it means to respect a person’s decision to end a pregnancy and their freedom to control their health and lives — without unnecessary barriers. I hope they take it.