LOS ANGELES — Abortion pills will soon be easily and cheaply available to students at the University of California and California State University under a state law aimed at expanding access to the medication to college students, a move that could become a flashpoint for anti-abortion groups vowing to challenge it.
The pills will be available through campus medical centers starting Jan. 1, 2023, when a 2019 law takes effect that made California the first state in the nation to require public universities to offer the pills. The move further cements California’s effort to become a haven for abortion care — specifically servicing a population whose age group makes up the majority of terminated pregnancies. About 60% of abortion patients are in their 20s, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
“We knew it was important then, but it’s even more important now,” said state Sen. Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, who authored the bill. “Now, I think it offers bigger ramifications.”
