Colorado bill requires abortion pill to be stocked at public and private colleges

Colorado lawmakers have advanced legislation to require public and private colleges and universities in the state to stock abortion pills in their campus health centers.

Key Takeaways:

• HB26-1335 would require all public and private schools in the state to provide the abortion pill at their campus health centers.

• Schools would be able to opt-out due to religious objections, but there is no religious exemption for individuals who object to abortion.

• On-campus abortion places students in danger, as they must undergo an abortion in a dorm bathroom and often don't have transportation for emergency care if it is needed.

The Details:

HB26-1335 doesn't just apply to publicly-funded state schools, but instead would require all colleges and universities in the state with a student health center to provide the abortion pill via the health center's pharmacy.

If the health center does not have a pharmacy, a prescription must be written for the student to obtain the abortion pill off campus. According to the bill's summary, "[a]n institution is not required to provide access to or stock abortion medication if doing so would conflict with the institution's bona fide religious beliefs or practices."

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During the committee hearing, Colleen Enos, director of government relations for Christian Home Educators of Colorado, noted that though schools may opt out of providing the abortion pill, there was nothing within the legislation allowing individual health care providers to do so.

“There is nothing in the statute to affirm a health care worker’s right to refuse to provide abortion pills or prescriptions according to their deeply held religious beliefs,” she said. 

The bill passed the House Education Committee on April 16 by a vote of 8-5 and next heads to the full House chamber.

The Big Picture:

The abortion pill is a two-drug regimen consisting of mifepristone (which starves the baby of the nutrients he needs to survive) and misoprostol, which causes the mother to go into labor and then deliver her dead child. This is often done while she is at home, in a toilet or a bathtub. Countless women have recounted being traumatized by this experience.

Proponents of the bill don't explain how a college student living on campus and likely sharing a dorm bathroom is expected to undergo this procedure within the confines of campus living.

Further, there is no explanation as to what may happen to the student if and when complications occur. One analysis of the abortion pill's complications found that "serious adverse events" occur at a rate 22 times higher than that which is reported by the FDA. Nearly 11% of women experienced complications such as hemorrhaging, infection, sepsis, transfusions, hospitalization, and more.

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A study in Ireland found that 12% of women who took the abortion pill needed to visit the emergency department due to complications, and 16% of those women experienced incomplete abortions.

Abortion supporters say that students need the abortion pill on campus because many are without transportation and unable to visit an abortion facility. What then happens to the student when she needs to get to the hospital or a doctor for emergency treatment or follow-up care when it is needed?

Many women report being severely unprepared for how painful the chemical abortion process can be.

The Bottom Line:

Bills attempting to mandate abortion pills on campus do not increase the wellbeing of women; instead, making schools a more welcoming place for parents would be a move in the right direction — not legislation that clearly puts students at risk.