SB-24 Public Health: Public University Student Health Centers

Currently, none of the student health centers at California’s public universities provide medication abortion services. The College Student Right to Access Act would require all on-campus student health centers at public universities to offer medication abortion for students by January 1, 2023.

This bill will require student health centers at public universities to provide medication abortion. To understand its potential impact, we sought to describe current travel time, costs, and wait times to access care at the nearest abortion facilities.

College students face cost, scheduling, and travel barriers to abortion care. Offering medication abortion on campus could reduce these barriers. Delays and difficulties in accessing affordable, safe, and early abortion care disproportionately interfere with the academic success and well-being of female students and particularly impact students of color and low-income students for whom reliable transportation and a flexible work schedule is less accessible.