MassLive | Push to make abortion pills available at public colleges a priority for Mass. lawmakers as Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood under attack

Story Originally Appeared in MassLive
By Alison Kuznitz

With the Supreme Court poised to imperil abortion protections nationwide, Massachusetts lawmakers and activists say a pending bill on Beacon Hill that could bolster reproductive health care on public college campuses carries heightened urgency as the end of the legislative session nears.

University health centers would be required to stock and provide medication abortion under bills sponsored by state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and state Sen. Jason Lewis.

But for now, college students grappling with pregnancy and limited transit options might spend hours riding a public bus to reach the nearest abortion services provider elsewhere in Massachusetts — all to obtain the two medication abortion pills that can be taken for up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. Oftentimes, students are visiting unfamiliar cities and providers, dozens of miles away from their trusted health care providers on campuses.

Lawmakers believe the medication, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, can easily be incorporated into a college health center’s portfolio of services in a bid for dignity, access and reproductive justice.

“Many of these are young women who may be low-income, students of color, so they are already facing significant economic and social challenges,” Lewis told MassLive. “It’s another barrier facing these individuals that shouldn’t have to be there ... Given the blockbuster news from (Monday) and the direction we seem to be heading tragically in this country, it’s even more incumbent on states like Massachusetts to continue to find additional ways to protect and expand access to reproductive health care.”

The Supreme Court remains on the brink of toppling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Politico reported Monday evening based on a leaked draft majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito.

Massachusetts elected officials, including House Speaker Ron Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu vowed to protect abortion rights during a press conference outside the Massachusetts State House on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.Alison Kuznitz/MassLive

Abortion protections are codified into Massachusetts state law, Beacon Hill lawmakers proudly declared this week as they rallied outside the State House on Tuesday morning and vowed to defend reproductive care for all Americans.

While House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka invoked their chambers’ budgets as a key mechanism for upholding abortion access in the commonwealth, Sabadosa said she also sees new hope for the Legislature to advance her and Lewis’s proposals.

“I think it’s in a good place,” Sabadosa told MassLive. “It’s still in the (Joint) Committee of Public Health, but we’re having very productive talks about it. So we’re hopeful that things will move forward.”

The legislation earmarks grants of at least $200,000 to university health centers to offset ancillary costs of providing medication abortion, including staff training and equipment purchases. But the medication itself would be covered by college health insurance plans, Sabadosa said.

Under the status quo, a Westfield State University student needs to travel 34 miles to access medication abortion, which translates into 3.5 hours riding public transit, according to research from Carrie Baker, a women and gender studies professor at Smith College.

At the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, it will take 13 hours to traverse 84 miles on public transit, Baker found. And though the University of Massachusetts Amherst intends to provide medication abortion this fall, students currently spend 4.5 hours on public transit, traveling 50 miles to reach a provider.

Sabadosa simulated one grueling journey in the fall, with lawmakers and student activists testing out other routes to make their case for the legislation.

State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa participate in a Repro Ride last fall advocating for medication abortion for college health centers.Twitter

“This is a real burden for Massachusetts students,” Baker said, framing the bill as a principle of economic, racial and gender justice.

Women already reeling from the emotional turmoil of learning they are pregnant must then navigate a potentially daylong trip to seek care, Baker said — all while missing classes, work and other commitments in their hectic student schedules. Medication abortion is safer than Tylenol and “very effective,” she said.

“If we don’t pass this bill, students will have to continue to travel long distances to get basic medical care,” Baker said. “If they don’t get access to care, they drop out of school. We want students to finish their education — we want them to thrive and get good job.s”

Reproductive Equity Now, intent on ensuring the bill passes, launched a $50,000 digital ad campaign — and an accompanying petition — last month to galvanize awareness. Just over 600 people, including nearly 500 Massachusetts residents, have signed the petition so far, which will be delivered to state lawmakers at the end of May, said spokeswoman Taylor St. Germain.

Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of Reproductive Equity Now, called it unacceptable that UMass Boston students without cars must travel six hours roundtrip to reach the nearest clinic.

“We wanted to really educate the public here in Massachusetts, and then also think about how to move those barriers and how to make clear that abortion is health care, and it should be streamlined in part of any college (or) university health center,” Hart Holder said of her organization’s ad campaign. “This is a pretty easy thing to do for students.”

There’s been little pushback to the bill so far, Hart Holder said.

Hart Holder’s advocacy has prompted her to contemplate her own undergraduate years at Mount Holyoke College — and how she would have navigated an abortion care access desert.

“I didn’t have a car. How the heck would I have figured out how to get to Springfield?” Hart Holder mused over the scenario. “The biggest issue we’ve been hearing is the education piece, like ‘I want abortion care — it’s the right option for me. It’s not at my health center, and now I don’t know where to turn, and I go to them for everything else.”