Some Washington lawmakers push for campus abortion access during bill’s first hearing
Jan 27, 2025, 3:22 PM
Medication to terminate a pregnancy can be seen in a gynecologist's office in front of an ultrasound image. Washington lawmakers are proposing taxpayer-funded colleges and universities provide abortion access. (Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
In an effort to expand Washington’s protections for abortion access, Democratic lawmakers are proposing taxpayer-funded colleges and universities provide access to medication abortion services.
Senate Bill 5321 mandates that, starting in the 2026-27 academic year, students at Washington’s six public baccalaureate institutions and 34 community and technical colleges must have access to medication abortion if their schools provide health services — either in person or via telehealth.
Mifepristone and misoprostol, the two most commonly used drugs for medically induced abortions, are central to these services.
The Washington State Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development heard public testimony on the bill Monday morning.
“Over 1,000 students in Washington State each year need abortion services and are unable to reasonably access them through their on-campus health centers,” Ahna Rader, a University of Washington student, said. “There’s no reason to continue making students go off campus to access timely, essential and safe healthcare.”
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Looking further at bill concerning abortion access
For institutions without health centers, the bill requires them to provide information and referrals to qualified healthcare providers, including telehealth organizations. These institutions must also offer private spaces for telehealth appointments, necessary technical support and electronic devices to facilitate access to these services.
Opponents of the bill raised ethical concerns during the testimony.
“The first sentence of the bill states that access to abortion is a human right, but that is not true,” Jennifer Patano said. “There is no right to the deliberate killing of an innocent human life.”
Washington’s proposal aligns with a national trend toward ensuring abortion access on college campuses. In 2019, California became the first state to pass legislation requiring public universities to offer medication abortion services on campus. The law mandates that all 33 public university campuses in California provide abortion pills to students, aiming to reduce barriers to reproductive healthcare.
In August 2024, New York joined California and Massachusetts in requiring certain public colleges to provide abortion medication to students.
Emily Cuarenta, a student at Eastern Washington University, shared her personal experience with lawmakers. She recounted traveling several hours to a medical clinic to access abortion services in 2021.
“If we’re to pride ourselves as a state that supports bodily autonomy and choice, we should prove it with actions that further expand access,” she said.
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Opponents of bill regarding abortion access voice concerns
However, the bill’s opponents have also cited moral and financial concerns. Tiffany Blanco, a student at Seattle Pacific University, argued against taxpayer funding for what she described as “a medically induced death.”
“I agree that college women need better reproductive healthcare and prenatal care, and they have that individual choice, but chemical abortion is not one of them,” Blanco stated.
Washington is among the states with the most liberal abortion access laws. However, the national landscape remains deeply divided. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 14 states have near-total bans on abortion and 15 states impose specific restrictions on medication abortion.
As Senate Bill 5321 advances through the legislative process, it will face committee reviews and potential amendments, reflecting ongoing debates about the role of public institutions in providing reproductive healthcare.
Matt Markovich often covers the state legislature and public politics for KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Matt’s stories here. Follow him on X, or email him here.
