California will become the first state in the nation to require public universities to provide access to abortion pills on campus under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday.

Senate Bill 24 by state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) will go into effect in 2023, with the University of California and California State University systems required to offer students medical abortions. A medical abortion is a nonsurgical way to terminate a pregnancy that involves taking two prescription pills hours apart during a woman’s first 10 weeks of pregnancy to induce a miscarriage. It is different than the morning-after pill, which releases a high dose of a synthetic hormone found in birth control pills that delays or stops the release of an egg.

“As other states and the federal government go backward, restricting reproductive freedom, in California we are moving forward, expanding access and reaffirming a woman’s right to choose,” Newsom said in a written statement….

University healthcare centers currently refer students to off-campus facilities for abortion services when requested. Supporters of the bill said students, particularly those without cars, have a difficult time getting to off-campus health facilities or paying for the cost of the medication….

Last year, then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar measure, saying the bill was “not necessary” because abortion services were “widely available” to students at off-campus clinics.

 

The above comes from an Oct. 11 story in the L.A. Times under the headline: “Abortion medication to be available at California’s college health centers under new law.”